In response to the unfolding crisis in Sudan, on 23 April 2023 Government approved the deployment of up to 12 armed Defence Forces personnel to Djibouti in the first instance, with possible travel into Sudan, with the objective of providing assistance for the process of evacuating Irish citizens and their dependents from Sudan as part of an Emergency Civil Assistance Team (ECAT) mission, led by Department of Foreign Affairs in conjunction with the Department of Defence.
A team of Defence Forces personnel and Department of Foreign Affairs officials travelled to Djibouti to establish operations of the ECAT mission with the purpose of providing protection for consular operations or evacuation in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan, should this be required and should the security situation permit.
These highly trained and specialised Defence Forces personnel were specifically selected for the expertise they could bring to this mission and this response was considered proportionate in relation to the mission requirements. In addition, 2 x PC12 aircraft were tasked with transporting weapons, ammunition and specialist equipment for Defence Forces personnel which couldn’t be transported by commercial means.
Given the evolving situation, there was a further Government Decision on 26 April to extend the operation of the ECAT mission from Djibouti to Cyprus involving the 12 Defence Forces personnel deployed to the region. The ECAT team proved its flexibility in responding to this volatile and evolving crisis by relocating swiftly to Cyprus, demonstrating continued dedication and support to Irish citizens caught up in this crisis.
The ECAT members on the ground supported Irish citizens and their family members who were evacuated to Djibouti, Jordan, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. There was also intensive work by Defence Forces personnel at home, in planning and supporting the ECAT mission in liaison with Department of Defence and Department of Foreign Affairs and providing expert military advice.
On Sunday 30 April, I announced the withdrawal from Cyprus of the Emergency Civil Assistance Team (ECAT) mission which had been based in that country since Thursday 27th April. In line with changed operational requirements since the ending of flights from Sudan into Cyprus, the ECAT element of the consular response concluded.
The deployment of the Defence Forces personnel overseas is done pursuant to the provisions of the Defence Acts, notably the Defence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1960 and the Defence (Amendment) Act 2006, as amended.
The deployment of the Defence Forces as part of the Department of Foreign Affairs led ECAT mission to Djibouti and Cyprus did not involve the deployment of more than 12 members of the Defence Forces, and therefore did not require the invocation of the “Triple Lock” mechanism.
Section 3(1) (f) of the Defence Act 2006 provides that a contingent or member of the Defence Forces may, with the prior approval of and on the authority of Government, be despatched for service outside the State for the purpose of undertaking humanitarian tasks in response to an actual or potential disaster or emergency. As outlined above, Government approved the deployment, in line with the legislative requirements, and the deployment was in no way hampered by compliance with legislative requirements.
