I thank the Seanad for the opportunity to outline the background to the United Nations mission in Liberia, UNMIL, and the reason the Government decided to respond positively to the invitation from the United Nations to provide a contingent.
Ireland has accorded central importance to the United Nations since it became a member in 1955. Within the UN system, Ireland has always supported effective international action in areas such as disarmament, peacekeeping, development and human rights. It has also been a strong defender of the primary role of the Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security. In line with this approach, Ireland has taken seriously its obligation under the Charter of the United Nations to make available to the Security Council armed forces, assistance and facilities to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security.
Ireland's Defence Forces and, in more recent times, the Garda Síochána, have gained extensive experience in peacekeeping and have been regularly approached as a source of peacekeeping personnel. Relative to our size, available resources and capabilities, both financial and military, Ireland is proportionately a very large peacekeeping contributor within the international community. As a result, there is extensive experience of overseas peacekeeping in a wide range of missions among the serving personnel in the Defence Forces. Nearly 75% of all eligible serving personnel in the Army have served overseas, while, within the officer and NCO groups, that figure rises to 90%.
Today, the call for Ireland's assistance comes from Liberia, a troubled and poverty stricken country that has suffered under a brutal regime. Liberia is ranked 174 out of 175 nations on the UN world human development index, which measures health and living conditions. It is a deprived, war-torn and war-weary nation.
Liberia has been in a state of near-constant conflict since the late 1980s. Along with its neighbouring countries of the Mano River Union, comprising Sierra Leone and Guinea, it has been at the centre of inter-related conflicts driven principally by the sponsorship of rebel movements by national leaders seeking to undermine their neighbouring regimes. Liberia's former president, Charles Taylor, was the principal architect in fomenting instability in the region, particularly through his support for the rebel movement in Sierra Leone, the Revolutionary United Front. In turn, Sierra Leone and Côte d'Ivoire have been accused of supporting and sponsoring anti-Taylor rebels in Liberia.
The conflict in the region has been marked by large-scale human rights abuses, including, intimidation, rape, decapitation and murder. Within Liberia, two major rebel groups emerged in opposition to the regime of former president Charles Taylor. Both groups, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia, have histories of atrocities towards civilian populations and have relied on child soldiers, including girls. It is estimated that Liberia has some 27,000 to 38,000 combatants, including the Taylorites, up to 70% of whom are minors.
With the assistance of the United Nations and the Economic Community of West African States, there has been significant progress in moving towards peace in Liberia since July this year. Peacekeeping troops have been deployed in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. President Taylor has gone into exile in Nigeria. In addition, a National Transitional Government of Liberia has been established involving representatives of the Government and rebel parties, in accordance with the comprehensive peace agreement signed by the Government and the rebel groups in Accra on 18 August 2003. The peace agreement, which sets out a road map towards elections in 2005, has been endorsed by the Security Council in Resolution 1509, which also established UNMIL.
While there has been progress, Liberia remains highly unstable and the peace process remains fragile. The rebel movements continue to control large areas outside the capital of Monrovia. Minor incidents can quickly escalate and there is poor control and communication between the disparate elements of the rebel groups. As Deputies will be aware, there have been some incidents involving the rebel groups and Government forces in Monrovia itself and, more recently, in the north of the country since the National Transitional Government of Liberia was established.
Establishing peace in Liberia, in tandem with the current UN operations in support of peace in Sierra Leone and the wider Mano River Union region, offers a real and tangible opportunity for the international community to assist in bringing stability to the region as a whole. The Defence Forces have a strong tradition of participation in missions of this nature and Ireland has a particular commitment to Africa, which is evidenced by, among other things, our bilateral aid programme. The Government considers that Ireland, as a long-standing contributor to UN peacekeeping, should participate where possible in suitable peace support operations. The UNMIL operation in Liberia offers a suitable opportunity for such participation.
The mission in Liberia has a strong and robust UN mandate. It will operate under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, which means that the force is authorised to take all necessary measures to fulfil its mandate. The mandate is comprehensive and includes monitoring the implementation of the cease-fire and the comprehensive peace agreement between the Government and rebel forces. It also includes, inter alia, assisting the disarmament, demobilisation, reintegration and repatriation of all armed parties, providing security, protection and humanitarian assistance, and promoting human rights.
The proposed Irish contingent will comprise a motorised infantry battalion of some 430 personnel and a small number of additional personnel who will be deployed at force headquarters and as military observers. At the request of the UN, a contingent of the Army ranger wing, amounting to some 40 personnel, will be deployed for a three month period.
The Irish contingent will operate as the force commander's rapid reaction force. It will provide an immediate response capability, deployable in sufficient strength and with the required level of force to provide a swift and decisive military reaction to any crisis. In the initial stages, the Irish battalion will act in a path-finding role for the UN brigades deployed beyond Monrovia.
Deployment to UNMIL will take place during November and December 2003. Initial deployment will be for one year, with a possible extension thereafter, subject to renewal of the UN mandate and a satisfactory review of the mission. In the case of UNMIL, my intention is that the duration of Defence Forces involvement will not exceed two to three years. Elections, which are due in 2005 under the comprehensive peace agreement, should be completed by the time the Irish contingent withdraws.
A full assessment of UNMIL was undertaken, including a comprehensive and detailed reconnaissance by an experienced Defence Forces team, before a final decision was made on their deployment. The military authorities have reported that Liberia is an inherently dangerous theatre of operations. The potential for renewed hostilities, an unquantified mine or improvised explosive device threat, hazardous driving conditions, the demanding climatic conditions and the threat to health make force protection a primary concern for the Defence Forces. However, I am assured by the military authorities that, while circumstances are difficult and volatile, they are satisfied they can discharge their mandate in an effective manner and maintain the safety of their personnel.
The decision to send troops overseas is not taken lightly. I assure the House that our ability to protect the health and safety of our personnel is of paramount concern when considering any mission. Once a decision to deploy is made and the nature and manner of that deployment are determined, all operational decisions regarding the deployment, force protection assets, medical facilities, etc., are a matter for the military authorities.
The final decision on deployment to Liberia was not taken until the detailed reconnaissance had been undertaken by the Defence Forces and I had received the report from the Chief of Staff. While no absolute guarantees can be given with regard to the safety of troops serving in missions, it is policy and practice to ensure that Defence Forces personnel are appropriately trained and equipped to carry out their mission.
The Defence Forces are deploying significant force protection assets and medical support on this mission. The equipment being deployed is of the highest quality. The Mowag armoured personnel carriers being deployed on this mission were also deployed with the Defence Forces when they served with UNMEE in Eritrea where they performed effectively. We are also deploying armoured vehicles and support weapons, heavy machine guns and a mortar platoon to provide protection and a significant response capability to the contingent.
A key concern on this mission is the health of our troops, having regard to the endemic nature of disease in Liberia. The Defence Forces adopt a comprehensive approach to managing and protecting the health of deployed personnel. As a matter of course, all personnel volunteering must have passed their annual medical in the first instance. They are then subjected to a further detailed overseas medical, where they are assessed for suitability with particular reference to the physical requirements of the mission in question. The troops to be deployed to Liberia will all go through this process.
The main risk to health in Liberia is malaria. The director of the Army Medical Corps has stated that systematic use by Defence Forces personnel of anti-malaria medication should be effective in protecting them from this disease. Troops are being fully immunised against all other known disease risks, including yellow fever, hepatitis A and B, cholera, meningitis and tetanus. The director of the Medical Corps has also had detailed consultations with the Royal College of Surgeons regarding the tropical disease aspects of the mission. In addition, special training is being provided by the Netherlands to our medical personnel on the environmental health issues arising in a tropical setting. As regards possible water-borne parasites or diseases, the Defence Forces are bringing their own water purification and sewage treatment plants with them. On return from a mission, all troops are fully tested from a health perspective as a matter of course.
The Defence Forces will be deploying as part of the battalion, a state-of-the-art containerised medical facility, which was recently acquired. The medical facility will be operated by two medical doctors who will be assisted by a team of 13 Defence Forces medical personnel and paramedics. A full surgical medical facility is being provided to the mission by the Netherlands initially and Jordan thereafter. In addition, there is a Red Cross medical facility in Monrovia and a full surgical medical facility in Freetown, which is attached to UNAMSIL and also provided by Jordan. The Jordanians provided a similar facility to our troops in UNMEE, which worked well.
I assure the House that the required facilities and medical personnel, including medical doctors, to provide for the Defence Forces contingent in Liberia will be deployed and maintained on an ongoing basis. I am assured that all these facilities fully meet the requirements for this mission. At the recent RACO conference, its president indicated satisfaction with what is being proposed with regard to force protection, particularly the health and medical aspects of the mission.
Ireland has long recognised its obligations to support peace and security throughout the world. There have been suggestions in the media and elsewhere that Ireland should only embark upon a mission where there is absolute certainty with regard to safety and no threat to our personnel. I cannot accept this position. Sometimes our obligations mean operating under difficult circumstances in dangerous situations. Sometimes we cannot wait for peace to happen, we need to help establish and maintain it. Ireland will not falter in its obligations in this regard.
In Liberia, Ireland has the opportunity to contribute, in a substantive manner, to bringing stability to a key region in Africa and to support the establishment of peace, respect for human rights and the rule of law as well as the re-establishment of civil society in the region. We have the opportunity to facilitate and support the development of the country and the aspirations and potential of its people. Since our first involvement in peacekeeping in 1958, Ireland's willingness to participate in UN peace support missions has been motivated by a firm belief that peoples throughout the world have the right to live in peace with justice, free from fear. Our participation in UNMIL represents a continuation and vindication of that belief.
I commend the individual members of the Permanent Defence Forces who have served and continue to serve on overseas missions, together with their families and loved ones. As we enter the Christmas season, it will be a difficult time for families with loved ones far from home. I hope, however, the arrangements we are putting in place, the provision of telephone services, Internet access and a direct mail service, will help ensure there is good and effective ongoing contact between our peacekeepers and their families. I assure the personnel being deployed and their families that we will do whatever we can to protect our personnel and return them safely to their families.