Irish troops end tour of duty

Irish troops serving as peacekeepers with the UN Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) completed their six-month tour of duty at the weekend, and were replaced by a contingent of Finns. The Irish contingent, which was praised by UNMEE Force Commander Maj-Gen Robert Gordon for its "exemplary behaviour" while stationed in Eritrea, departed on Sunday. The troops were accompanied by a group of Irish military police who had been investigating allegations of sexual misbehaviour involving a previous Irish contingent. "The allegations of sexual misconduct had nothing to do with the contingent which left yesterday [14 June]," said Gordon. He said the allegations had been brought to the attention of UNMEE earlier this year. "By the time the allegations were made, those against whom they were made had already left the country, and we took the appropriate steps to alert the Irish military authorities," he said. He added that the Irish authorities had taken the allegations "extremely seriously" and were conducting their own investigation.