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The
deployment of British military personnel to Cote d'Ivoire
conducted under the name of Operation Phillis
In
light of the volatile and violent situation in Cote d'Ivoire
in early November 2004, the UK deployed a small military team
to review contingency plans, liaise with the French military
authorities regarding the safety of , and offer expert advice
to the British Ambassador in Abidjan. The Ministry of Defence
also put in hand some precautionary preparatory work against
the possible need for an evacuation operation, and placed
troops on standby in the UK.
The
evacuation operation commenced early on 12 November, RAF Hercules
aircraft flying into Cote d'Ivoire to begin ferrying UK nationals
and other evacuees to Accra, where the Foreign & Commonwealth
Office and Ghanaian authorities took care of their reception
and onward movement. Soldiers from the Royal Gurkha Rifles
provided assistance to the Consular staff on the ground in
Cote d'Ivoire. The evacuation by British forces was completed
to the satisfaction of the British Ambassador at 1100 on 13
November, with all those UK nationals who wished to leave
Cote d'Ivoire having been flown to safety in Ghana, along
with the Embassy staff. In total, the three RAF Hercules aircraft
brought out 220 evacuees, including some nationals of other
countries at their governments' request. The British forces
began returning to the UK from the operating base in Accra
on 13 November, having received outstanding support and cooperation
from the French and Ghanaian authorities.
Mr
Gordon Wetherell, the British High Commissioner, Accra, Ghana
praised both the UK military operation and the support from
the Ghanaian Government: “We are very grateful for all
the hard work, efficiency and co-operation of the British
military deployed here and I would like to play tribute to
the co-operation of the Ghanaian authorities…..they have
been unstinting in their cooperation and their readiness to
make facilities available to us, and without that what we
have managed to do would not have been possible”.
The
overall duration of the operation, from the call forward of
evacuation assets from the United Kingdom to the last aircraft
departing from Abidjan, was only fifty hours.
On
11 November, the Secretary of State for Defence made the following
statement to the House of Commons:
"The
UK places the utmost priority on protecting its citizens,
whether at home or abroad. We are always prepared to deploy
British forces to evacuate UK nationals should their lives
be placed in jeopardy. In light of the deteriorating security
situation in Cote d'Ivoire, a military reconnaissance team
deployed earlier this week to assess the requirement to
evacuate UK nationals. I wish to inform the House that,
following this reconnaissance, the Foreign & Commonwealth
Office has requested British forces to undertake an evacuation
of UK nationals and others over the next few days. Some
400 people are entitled to our protection.
"While
I cannot give the House precise details of the mission for
reasons of operational security, we have now established
liaison teams in Abidjan, and at Accra in Ghana. Concurrently,
we have ordered the deployment of the Spearhead Lead Company
Group, comprising Royal Gurkha Rifles personnel, to assist
with this evacuation. The Company Group is pre-positioning
in Accra and will be on immediate notice to be called forward
to support the evacuation in Abidjan. It is intended to
support this evacuation with a number of RAF transport aircraft.
In total, this equates to a deployment of around 300 personnel.
"As
an additional contingency we have redirected the Landing
Platform Dock HMS Albion towards Cote d'Ivoire, and
reduced the notice to move for other force elements, should
they be required. We would expect the operation to last
days, not weeks.
"Our
ability to react quickly to the situation in Cote d'Ivoire
is testament to the flexibility and capability of Britain's
Armed Forces, and to the professionalism of British Servicemen
and women. The UK is working in close cooperation with international
partners to monitor and respond to the situation in Cote
d'Ivoire as it develops. In particular, we are working with
the French and Ghanaians, who have offered significant enabling
support to British forces."
Useful
Links
>
Foreign
Office Travel Advice (updated 11 November)
>
Royal
Gurkha Rifles
>
HMS
Albion
>
RAF Air Transport:
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