12 WEXFORD SOLDIERS FACING AN EXTENDED STAY IN LEBANON
TWELVE Wexford soldiers serving on a UN peacekeeping mission in the Lebanon have been told that they must stay on in the warzone after all rotations of troops were suspended by the UN to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
The families of the Wexford men from across the county, were devastated to find out that their loved ones would not be returning home at the beginning of next month as planned, having been stationed in the volatile region since Christmas.
‘It’s terrible,’ a family member of one of the soldiers said. ‘At this horrible time in the world, they can’t come home for their loved ones and be there for their kids and spouses etc. The lack of information being given to them as soldiers on this wouldn’t paint a great picture for possible future recruits.’
‘When the government are doing everything they can and spending thousands on bringing Irish people home from across the globe, they won’t even bring their own soldiers home so they can be with their families. It’s a disgrace.’
While the UN has stated that troop rotations are to be suspended until June 30, this is to be reviewed and the families have been given the impression that their loved ones may have to stay in the Lebanon beyond this, and may even have to see out another rotation which would mean they won’t return home until September. In a statement, the UN said: ‘Given the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 crisis, and in order to mitigate its transmission, the United Nations
Secretary General in recent days advised all troop contributors and mission commanders of his plans to suspend all rotations and leave for military personnel serving in UN missions until 30 June.’
The statement continued that it was vital to ensure the continued operation of these vital peacekeeping missions, to ‘protect vulnerable populations in conflict zones’ and to ‘ensure the health and well-being of personnel deployed by limiting the movement of personnel into mission areas’.
Minister of State with responsibility for Defence Paul Kehoe said that he very much understood the frustrations of the families involved and that he and his officials in the Department of Defence are seeking to closely engage with the UN in a bid to ensure personnel can return home as close as possible to their planned rotation date.
The Lebanon has quite a low instance of Covid-19 at this point, with just under 600 cases and 19 deaths in a population of around 7 million people.
Last week Minister Kehoe took part in a video conference with fellow EU defence ministers to discuss the impact of Covid-19 and it’s understood that the rotation of troops was among the topics on the agenda. Meanwhile, however, the families of the soldiers involved are left worrying not just about the volatility of the region where their loved ones are stationed, but the threat imposed by Covid-19 in a country with scant financial and medical resources, should a wave of the virus hit there.