Emotional scenes expected to greet returning troops

Emotional scenes are expected tonight as the last Irish soldiers serving in Liberia return home, marking the end of Ireland’s four-year presence in the war-torn African country.

The remaining 83 troops of the 96 Infantry Battalion will be welcomed by friends and family when they arrive at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel.

The Defence Forces were first deployed to the UN Liberia mission (UNMIL) in late 2003 to help bring stability to the small volatile country after years of civil war.

One Irish soldier was killed during the four-year deployment. Sergeant Derek Mooney died after a car accident on November 27, 2003.

“Enormous progress in Liberia has been made with the stabilisation of the security situation, disarmament and demobilisation of combatants, democratic elections in October 2005 and a large increase in the long-term peace-building efforts by this multi-faceted crisis management operation,” a Defence Forces spokesman said.

“Large challenges still remain for the rehabilitation of Liberia and the UN force continues to provide security.”

Liberia is Africa’s oldest republic, but it became better known in the 1990s for its long-running ruinous civil war and its role in a rebellion in neighbouring Sierra Leone.

The conflict left the country in economic ruin and overrun with weapons.

Since their deployment, Irish troops served more than 3,000 individual tours of duty in the western African state, with 40 special forces troops from the army ranger wing deployed.

Partnering Sweden, the Irish battalion combined to provide the bulk of the UN military presence by land, sea and air in the form of a Quick Reaction Force (QRF), which took part in long range patrols to potential trouble spots.

In March 2006 the QRF deployed to protect the Special Court for Sierra Leone, providing security for the extradition of indicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor.

Mr Kofi Annan, then UN Secretary General, during a visit to Ireland in October 2004 said: “Ireland has been one of the few industrialised states to deploy formed units to sub-Saharan Africa, providing niche capabilities that really hold a peacekeeping operation together.

“We need these specialist units very, very badly.”

The Irish troops handed over their role of QRF to Pakistani troops on May 9.

All equipment and vehicles have been loaded on to a cargo ship, and will return in the coming weeks.

The Defence Forces made its first contribution to foreign peacekeeping in 1958 when some fifty officers were assigned to the United Nations Observer Group in Lebanon (UNOGIL).

Currently Ireland has more than 500 troops serving overseas in areas including western Sahara, Kosovo, Lebanon, and the Ivory Coast.