Seanad debates
Thursday, 13 November 2003
United Nations Mission in Liberia: Statements.
The Minister did not mention voodoo, but I ask him to make sure that the troops obtain local information about this. I have been to west Africa and it is a powerful force, although as I have not been to Liberia I cannot say whether this is true there. Every market contains stalls with fetishes and sometimes children are told that if they wear a certain fetish they will not be hit by bullets. It is important the soldiers are told about this. The Irish public should also know because children may be killed during this peacekeeping mission. If children are fighting because they have been told that wearing girls' clothes will magically protect him from bullets, our soldiers may not be in a position, with the best will in the world, to spare their lives. We must accept that this sort of thing will happen because, as the Minister pointed out, 70% of the combatants are minors and they have been involved in the most appalling acts. The best thing we can possibly do is to restore the peace so these children can return to some form of education and normal life, having been out of it for years.
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