Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

132. To ask the Minister for Defence if he will provide a progress report on the Defence Forces participation in the EU-led training mission in Somalia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13799/14]

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Recently a very small but skilled and capable cadre of Defence Forces personnel has been involved in an EU-led training mission in Somalia. In this question I seek to ascertain from the Minister if he has evaluated the contribution of this small group of Irish personnel and the overall success of the mission.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I have an extraordinarily long reply and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle will have to stop me halfway through it. However, I will do my best.

EUTM Somalia which was launched on 7 April 2010 has been deployed to provide military training for members of the Somali national armed forces so as to increase their capability to ensure the sovereignty and security of the Somali state. The mission is part of the European Union’s long-term strategy for the Horn of Africa. EUTM Somalia has contributed to the training of approximately 3,600 Somali soldiers to date. On 22 January 2013 the European Council adopted a decision extending the mandate of EUTM Somalia until March 2015. The new EUTM Somalia mandate involves a significant change of focus of the mission, including moving all elements of the mission from Uganda to Somalia. In December 2013 all training concluded in Uganda. The mission achieved a major milestone on 1 February 2014 when the mission commander, Brigadier General Gerald Aherne, declared full operating capability in Mogadishu. The current mandate will continue until 31 March 2015. Implementation of the mandate in Somalia is facing several challenges, including security in Mogadishu, where the position remains unstable.

Following Government approval, five Defence Forces personnel were deployed in April 2010 to the EU-led training mission, EUTM Somalia, providing a training team and certain staff posts.

Ireland took over operational command of the mission in August 2011, with the appointment of Colonel Michael Beary of the Defence Forces as mission commander, and deployed additional staff to support the role of mission commander. Brigadier General Gerald Aherne succeeded Colonel Beary and took up the appointment of mission commander on 1 February 2013. At the end of last month Brigadier General Gerald Aherne handed over command of the mission to his successor, Brigadier General Massimo Mingiardi of Italy, who attended the recent meeting of EU defence Ministers to brief us on the mission.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Brigadier General Beary and Brigadier General Aherne for their outstanding contribution to the success of the mission and to wish the new force commander well. Ireland currently has six personnel serving with the mission, which reduces from 11 the numbers we have there, because the remaining personnel would have supported the mission commander when our Defence Forces had command of the mission.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I join the Minister in paying tribute to Brigadiers Aherne and Beary for their work on this important mission. Am I right in saying the Minister has decided our forces will withdraw from this mission soon? I was surprised to hear that, given the value of the work and that there is still a desperate need in Somalia for the stabilisation work and training of the armed forces in which our forces have been involved. Why did the Minister decide to disengage from the initiative? I know there were some safety concerns, but I am conscious that we are still present in Afghanistan, where there are many challenges. The Minister has a personal interest in Mali, and many others in the House are interested in it, where the situation is also quite challenging. Why disengage from Somalia?

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The mission has changed significantly since locating in Mogadishu, having initially been in Uganda. We are engaged in 14 overseas missions, including EUTM Somalia, and given Ireland's commitment to this mission to date in order to support the smooth handover between mission commanders, we granted approval to retain the Defence Forces personnel in their current appointments until the end of their tour of duty on 13 April 2014. The decision was made to end our engagement in the mission. Very few members of our Defence Forces participate it. As the term of our engagement in missions draws to a close, a review is always conducted to ascertain whether we should deploy some additional personnel or give consideration to other missions. The decision was made that it was appropriate to withdraw the small number of personnel in this location, having made a substantial contribution to it with two outstanding members of our Defence Forces as force commanders. The Deputy can assume we continue to focus on the varied missions we are engaged in and there is no question of our disengaging in any dramatic way from our overall UN commitments.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Minister that our commitment to the UN missions is of major importance and I appreciate our ongoing commitment. None the less, the situation in Somalia continues to be very serious. The small group of personnel made a valuable contribution and there is a continuing need to be engaged there. When considering this question I was conscious of the Government's Africa strategy and the Tánaiste's commitment to it and to peace, security, disarmament and respect for human rights, which our people in Somalia were working on.

That work is not yet complete. Why cease our involvement while the work remains to be completed? I ask the Minister to indicate whether he has engaged with the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade on this matter, given that the Tánaiste has been a champion of the African strategy. Indeed, that strategy is worthy of support.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I understand we have more missions currently serving overseas than at any time previously in the history of the State. We are engaged concurrently in 14 different missions. On 22 January 2013, the Council of the European Union extended the mandate of EUTM Somalia to March 2015. This third mandate implied a significant change of focus for the mission, with the inclusion of strategic, advisory and mentoring activities in addition to training. The specific training offered by Irish Defence Forces personnel is no longer required under the new mission mandate. We maintained our numbers for as long as Brigadier General Aherne was in command of the mission, but the specific training activities in which we were engaged were no longer required and, in those circumstances, it made no sense to maintain our engagement beyond the completion of the current deployment. It is no more complex than that. Should it arise at some point in the future that we can contribute to the mission in a constructive way based on our niche skills and training capacities, that will be open for consideration.