Return dates set for Wexford troops stuck in Lebanon
TWELVE Wexford soldiers who were left stuck in Lebanon where they were serving on a UN peacekeeping mission are due to return home from June 21 – just over a month later than scheduled. The families of the soldiers from across the county were expecting them home early this month having not seen them since before Christmas. However, as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, all rotations of troops were suspended by the UN, leaving the men trapped indefinitely in a warzone, away from their worried families at home.
The Department of Defence came in for heavy criticism from the families of the soldiers, who suggested that at a time when every effort was being made to repatriate Irish civilians stuck abroad as the outbreak hit, the same courtesy should be extended to our defence forces. Minister with responsibility for Defence Paul Kehoe had vowed to liaise with the UN in a bid to find a solution that would see troops returned as close as possible to their planned rotation date. On Friday, Minister Kehoe provided an update on the situation.
‘The last number of weeks have been extremely difficult for our Defence Forces personnel serving as peacekeepers in UNIFIL, South Lebanon,’ he said. ‘In April, as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, the UN Secretary General placed a moratorium on rotations which affected over 100,000 personnel from 120 countries.’
‘Since then, the Department of Defence, the Defence Forces and the Department of Foreign Affairs have been working closely with the Force Commander in UNIFIL and the UN to secure an exemption and the safe return of our personnel. This morning, confirmation was received that our personnel will now return home in two “chalks” - June 21 and June 29.
It’s really welcome that we now have clarity in relation to the rotation dates. This is an important step especially for the families of the personnel who are missing their loved ones.’