June 6,
2008: Putting European troops into
landlocked Chad for peacekeeping duty is turning out to be very expensive.
Current estimates are that it will cost over $300,000 a year to keep one
soldier in Chad. The European peacekeepers don't have much in the way of
helicopters or armored vehicles. Thus the big expense is air transport.
Delivering goods by truck is expensive as well, because of the scarcity of good
roads, and long distances from ports. While air freight cost five times as
much, this avoids the bandits and risks of breakdowns that trucks must endure.
Even a lot of the food for famine relief and refugees is flown in.
The troops
are living pretty rough because of the transportation difficulties, and this
doesn't help morale much. Many will only serve a few months in Chad, before
returning home for some rest and recuperation.
