Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister of State will be aware, Sinn Féin did not support the deployment of the Army Ranger Wing to Mali. We voted against it in this House, as did others. We did so because we were being asked to endorse and become part of the UN's response to a coup in that state and to train Malian military to fight a civil war. This is a security peace enforcement mission that involves taking sides and Sinn Féin believes this undermines our neutrality. The mission in which the Army rangers are involved has a security-only focus. It does not involve any roadmap to peace. In Sinn Féin's view, the Defence Forces should be seen as mediators, continuing Ireland's proud role in supporting peace efforts in the region or anywhere else in the world, and not as one-sided enforcers. The deployment of personnel to act as enforcers rather than mediators changes the nature of Irish engagement with international politics.

Does the Minister of State receive regular updates on the mission and the security measures to protect Irish troops?

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