Ireland will deploy a single Naval Service patrol vessel to Operation IRINI for a period of 46 days during June and July this year in order to help enforce a UN arms embargo on Libya, which was introduced in 2020 to preserve peace in the country after the end of the second Libyan civil war.
The proposal was presented by Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin to his country’s lower house, known as Dáil Éireann, last Tuesday, April 25. The following day, the Dáil approved it.
This is the first operational overseas deployment of an Irish Naval ship since 2018, and only the third such mission in Naval Service history, The Irish Times reports.
Irish Military Welcomes the News
According to the Irish Defense Forces, the LÉ William Butler Yeats has been identified as the Naval Asset set to deploy for Operation IRINI. The crew will now commence a work up period in order to be mission ready.
The Chief of Staff of the Irish Defense Forces, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, welcomed this announcement stating, “the deployment of LÉ William Butler Yeats on Operation IRINI will provide the operation with highly skilled and capable personnel with experience in Maritime Defence and Security Operations (MDSO) throughout Ireland’s maritime domain and on previous overseas missions – OP PONTUS and SOPHIA,” as per a statement from the Irish Defense Forces.
“This deployment is crucial to the regeneration of Ireland’s Navy and is directly linked our efforts to recruit, retain and incentivise seagoing,” he added.
Flag Officer Commanding Naval Service, Commodore Michael Malone, stated: “With ambitions for the expansion of the Naval Service as outlined in the Commission on the Defence Forces report, this deployment presents an opportunity to build on the experiences gained through previous maritime overseas missions. Our sailors bring vital experience to bear in what remains a dynamic operational role.”
Scope of Involvement
LÉ William Butler Yeats will be tasked with Information, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations while also engaging in Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) operations on a regular basis, a capability in which the Irish Navy excels, from experience in the North East Atlantic Ocean, according to the Irish Defense Forces.
The ship will be positioned in the area of operations for 34 days and the remaining days will be spent traveling to and from the mission area.
In a speech presenting the motion to the Dáil prior to the vote, Irish Foreign Minister Martin explained the Naval Service has confirmed it will maintain a patrol plan that will have two ships on domestic patrols for 61 per cent of the deployment period and one ship for the remaining 39 per cent of the time.
“While the department recognizes the operational challenges of having only one or two vessels available for domestic duties during this period, the potential benefits of participation in this mission to the recruitment and retention crisis in the Naval Service are accepted,” Martin said.
“Participation in this mission has been identified by the Naval Service as one of the immediate actions that will, potentially, assist in aiding their recruitment and retention efforts,” added the Irish top diplomat.
Concerns Over the Libyan Coast Guard
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), however, has raised “serious concerns” about the mission due to the involvement of the Libyan Coast Guard, which the humanitarian organization claims is intertwined with militias and armed groups that mistreat migrants.
In a letter to Irish Foreign Minister Martin, MSF asked that Dublin “refuse Irish Naval training of the Libyan coast guard at any time in the future as part of Operation IRINI and to make a statement on its decision,” according to The Irish Times.
Niamh Burke, an Irish nurse with MSF, said survivors she came across during sea rescues, who had been in Libya, would “show me their scars and tell me how they were beaten by guards and not fed enough food to eat and how they would drink toilet water”.
“They would speak about being beaten with heated plastic, wood, and iron bars. Some of the survivors had suffered sexual violence,” Burke claimed in a statement to The Irish Times.
“I was told stories of previous attempts to cross, with boats being shot at and forcible returns to Libya, as well as abuses they suffered in that country,” she said.
On one occasion, Burke said she “witnessed a boat in distress being pushed back by the Libyan Coast Guard, which was one of the worst moments for me during my time on the Geo Barents”.
“Even though we were in our rescue gear, ready to go, we couldn’t do anything to help,” Burke recalled.
“Having to stand back and just watch survivors being brought back to Libya, which is not a place of safety, against humanitarian law, was hard to take. We knew that people would be taken back to prison, to warehouses,” she added.