Seasoned readers may recall that I got quite worked up about events in Chad a few weeks back when (depending on who you believe) Irish EU peacekeepers either (i) hid from a rebel force attacking a refugee camp or (ii) made a tactical retreat before saving the lives of embattled aid workers. Now my colleague Ben Tortolani, an eagle-eyed observer of peacekeeping news, brings my attention to an unfiltered account of what happened:
One wild-eyed rebel charged into a room where aid workers were cowering. He clutched a beer in one hand and a stolen electric iron in the other, his rifle slung over his shoulder. He handed over the iron, saying it was no use in the desert.
He apologised for interrupting their game of Scrabble and politely asked for a can of Coke from the table, saying: “I’m thirsty.”
The full story makes it clear that this event was no joke (and, as I’ve been pointing out here and there, the whole episode has left very large questions about what the EU troops can achieve). But if you’ll permit some grim humor, I’m still trying to grasp how you can cower and play Scrabble at the same time – surely Twister would be a more compatible game?
