Liberia: Despite last month's peace deal, Liberia is still a very dangerous place, writes Declan Walsh
The Dáil is shortly expected to vote on sending 430 Irish soldiers to join a 15,000-strong UN peacekeeping force to war-devastated Liberia. It would be a prestigious but potentially perilous mission.
Although a peace deal was signed last month, and an interim government is due to take power shortly, the small West African nation remains fragile and volatile. Nigerian-led interim peacekeepers have secured the capital, Monrovia, but sporadic fighting continues in the countryside.
Barricades dot the roads where ragged fighters - many of them child soldiers - extort bribes, harass and rape civilians.
Misery and devastation are everywhere. Two decades of on-off fighting have all but levelled the country. Running water is scarce. The electricity grid collapsed over a decade ago. Schools are destroyed, hospitals looted. Hunger is rampant.
The UN mission aims to wrench Liberia - possibly the world's poorest country - from this miserable abyss. It has two goals: to restore stability after 14 years of almost continuous war, and to disarm the myriad array of fighters. It hopes to mirror the success of neighbouring Sierra Leone, where another giant UN mission helped end civil war and paved the way for largely successful elections in May 2002.
If the Irish contingent is approved, as is thought likely, it will probably contribute heavily armed troops authorised to open fire if necessary. Mortar, anti-tank and Ranger platoons could be deployed, said an army spokesman yesterday.
Such troops would be equipped with armoured vehicles - some mounted with heavy machineguns - similar to those used by Irish forces in the Lebanon. However, operational details will only be determined after Dáil approval.
Despite the challenges, hopes are high the UN mission can end Liberia's nightmare. Since President Charles Taylor left for exile last month, the momentum for peace has accelerated at a dizzying speed.
Within hours of his departure, a small contingent of US troops landed to support the interim African peacekeeping mission, ending the rebel siege of Monrovia. Since then, a glimmer of normality has started to shine over the ruined city.
Militia fighters have been cleared from the downtown streets. The European Union has started restoring power and pump water to some neighbourhoods. Aid agencies are returning with food and drugs, and starting to cautiously venture into the rebel-held countryside.
UN agencies are due to resume full operations after the transitional government, headed by local businessman Gyude Bryant, takes control on October 14th.
The rebels also say they no longer have a stomach for war. "We are not prepared to fight any more," rebel leader Sekou Conneh told reporters last week. He was dressed in white and describing himself as a "liberator".
The 42-year-old warlord said he had no regrets about launching the war that drove half a million Liberians from their homes. But only two months ago, his troops were carrying out a vicious shelling campaign on central Monrovia that killed an estimated 2,000 cowering civilians.
Peace may also depend on the departed Mr Taylor. The indicted war criminal is estimated to have stolen $100 million in state funds in recent years.
Even in absentia, he continues to wield power. His guns are gone but one weapon remains at his disposal: the mobile phone.
Diplomats and UN officials say Mr Taylor is meddling in Liberian affairs from his luxury coastal mansion in Calabar, southern Nigeria. He is manipulating his former forces and directing political allies by phone - in contravention of his asylum agreement. Many are worried he is trying to deliver on his pre-departure promise: "I will be back."
"Taylor is clearly rebuilding his network. He is like a vampire. Until you drive a stake in his heart, he won't die," said Jacques Klein, the outspoken UN special representative for Liberia.
If the contingent is approved, the first Irish boots are unlikely to be on the ground before early January. As part of a mobile reaction force, they could be called on to quell any fresh hostilities between government and rebel forces. They may also be engaged in helping disarm the country's wild - and mostly undisciplined - fighters.
The other risk is disease. Malaria is endemic in West Africa, and dozens of US soldiers who recently served had to be hospitalised after returning home. Irish soldiers are prescribed with Lariam, a powerful but controversial anti-malaria drug that can induce strong side-effects.
"The effectiveness of Lariam outweighs the side-effects to one or two individuals in isolated circumstances. It is vital," said an army spokesman.