EU peacekeepers deploying to Chad on Feb. 12 will experience a more hostile reception than they would have just two weeks ago.
EU peacekeepers began deploying to eastern Chad on Feb. 12. Though French troops dominate, the force — known as EUFOR — includes contingents from several European countries. The Europeans are approaching their task with trepidations about the newly hostile conditions in a region where neighboring Sudan does not think they belong at all.
French forces in Chad separate from EUFOR tried to repel the Sudanese-supported Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD) rebel force as it approached and invaded Chad’s capital, N’Djamena. France, the former colonial power in Chad, is believed to have intervened at the last minute to ensure the continuity and stability of a government favorable to its commercial interests — something that would not be certain under a pro-Sudanese government.