Estonian servicemen may head to Africa, in February

Photo: Toomas Huik / Postimees

According to defence minister Urmas Reinsalu, EU mission may take Estonian servicemen to Central African Republic as soon as at end of February. 

«In Afghanistan there exists an obvious enemy and NATO forces entered to fight one definite foe, no matter how fragmented. With the European Union’s Central African Republic (CAR) mission, it will not be fighting a single enemy; rather, the goal is guaranteeing public security and separating opposing forces,» Mr Reinsalu said at a press conference at defence ministry, yesterday.

No front line

According to defence minister, no definite battle line exists in CAR; what do exist is gangs, lightly armed and involved in looting and trouble-making.

«Close to 100,000 people have gathered around the Bangui airport, because of the French security forces present there, providing for one of the securest spots in the land,» said Mr Reinsalu.

As confirmed by Commander of the Defence Forces, Major General Riho Terras, the servicemen will be ready for the mission, by February. 

«This will be a one-off mission, definitely limited time-wise by four months. The actual starting time of the mission depends on when the EU military mission is formed and in which part of the schedule our units are going to be needed,» said Mr Reinsalu.

To CAR, Estonia will send a platoon-sixed unit out of Scouts Battalion, operating on armoured vehicles. In 2012, these soldiers returned from an Afghani mission, meaning these are men of experience.

According to Maj. Gen. Terras, there are three versions, currently, of possible tasks for Estonians in CAR. «It will either be functioning as strike team in support of French forces, ensuring security at Bangui airfield, or securing the transport road from Chad to Bangui. We are still deciding which of these three we will do,» said Maj. Gen. Terras.

As requested by the French defence minister from Estonia, our soldiers would assume a support role in the mission, enabling the French to make more use of their troops in operations.

According to Maj. Gen. Terras, this is a complicated operation logistically, as they are supposed to arrive by air transport. 

Maj. Gen. Terras said defence forced do possess all needed equipment for the CAR conditions. «The French have a very long term experience in operating in the region; in cooperation with them, we have considered all logistical elements to fulfil the task,» said he.

Half of nation needing help

Maj. Gen. Terras added that Estonians will be taking their own armoured vehicles to Africa, the Scouts Battalion soldiers being trained to use these. To retrain the soldiers would be more complicated than taking the vehicles along, said he.

Maj. Gen. Terras added that though, on a map, CAR looks small, it is actually a country sized somewhere between Ukraine and France. CAR is sparsely populated and has never had a Census; it is estimated to have 4.5 to 5 million inhabitants.

«80 per cent of the population are Christians, 10 per cent are Muslims, and 10 per cent animists; even so, the lines between Christianity, Islam and animism are blurred. The northern part of CAR is desert; central and southern parts are tropical, the climate being very rough. Disease is rampant, hepatitis and malaria risks are very high. The country has a very poorly developed medical system, there are no hospitals. The population is in a very difficult situation,» noted Maj. Gen. Terras.

According to Mr Reinsalu, the security situation in CAR is extremely critical. 

«The country has close to a million refugees; about a half of the population is in real need of humanitarian help. Over a thousand have lost their lives. There is a real danger that the situation will evolve into a humanitarian catastrophe, like in Rwanda, where close to a million perished. The violence may also spread across the CAR borders,» acknowledged Mr Reinsalu.

According to the defence minister, Estonia took the French plea to get involved in CAR as a request by a vital military ally.

«France has helped us in solving the Lebanese hostage crisis, having also invested the mist into the defence forces exercises Steadfast Jazz,» explained the minister.

At defence ministry’s estimation, the mission may cost up to €2.7m, to be covered by the ministry’s budget. 

Yesterday, the government opted to support participating in the mission, which still does need Riigikogu mandate.