A French aid worker in Chad has been shot dead. Pascal Marlinge, 49, a member of the London-based charity Save the Children, was killed by a group of armed men as he was driving in a convoy.
Mr Marlinge was working with displaced people and refugees in the town of Farchana in eastern Chad.
European peacekeeping forces patrolling the region came on the scene soon after and set off to try and catch the killers.
The charity has suspended all work in Chad until further notice and has sent a team to assist in the investigation.
Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea yesterday reviewed the main body of the 97th Infantry Battalion, who will be joining their advance party in Chad in two waves later this month.
The 270 men and women involved are drawn largely from the 4th Western Brigade and will serve a four month tour of duty as part of the UN mandated, EU-led peacekeeping mission to Chad and the Central African Republic.
The first group will fly out on 19 May and the second on 27/28 May.
The Irish battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Patrick McDaniel, will operate from a base in Goz Beida in south-eastern Chad.
The Austrian government has extended its participation in the mission in Chad until the end of the year, and it may be extended further after the present deadline runs out.
