Whether it is a search and rescue mission, a humanitarian convoy delivering aid, repairs to critical civilian infrastructure, or movements and activities of UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in south Lebanon, the deconfliction role played by UNIFIL’s Liaison Branch is always indispensable.
Such role has been all the more important during periods of heightened tension – demonstrated in the wake of the latest escalation.
Colonel Thomas Labouche, who currently heads the Branch, says his team of 20 officers of different nationalities serves as “a bridge” to make things happen on the ground in the face of significant challenges and complexities. His team is comprised of experienced officers, including language assistants, whose expertise, complemented by human qualities, allows the conduct of challenging missions.
“It has proven really worthwhile, because as long as the situation in south Lebanon has been worsening or calming down, you always have interaction in the field,” said Col. Labouche. “And as long as you have different actors, not on the same board of the chessboard, you need people to make connection between them,” he added, stressing the deconfliction role.
“We are not able to deconflict everything of course, because deconfliction is not exact science,” he said on the complex nature of the tasks.
Deconfliction is a critical activity in the tense operational environment of south Lebanon. Put simply, it is a process of communicating and coordinating with the LAF and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to support the safe movement of peacekeepers, humanitarian actors, and occasionally civilians. Information is shared to prevent misunderstandings and reduce security risks.
The role of UNIFIL’s Liaison Branch involves being in constant contact with the LAF, IDF and various humanitarian actors operating in south Lebanon, as well as UNIFIL leadership and relevant components internally. Such communications are complemented by a constant visible presence on the ground in the form of patrols, on both sides of the Blue Line.
The Liaison Branch, which receives and processes dozens of deconfliction notification requests everyday, is the only mission component having physical presence on both sides of the Blue Line. Even at the height of the recent hostilities, when much of UNIFIL’s operational activities on the Lebanese side of the Blue Line had been suspended, Liaison Branch patrols in northern Israel, south of the Blue Line, never stopped.
Although UNIFIL Liaison Branch was formally established in December 2006 in the wake of that year’s summer conflict, deconfliction work first started in 1986 with a small team set up to liaise and coordinate with multiple actors.
Being flexible to be useful
One of the key traits of UNIFIL’s liaison team is being flexible. Col. Labouche acknowledges that success is not always guaranteed and the planning is done with that assumption in order to ensure smooth conduct of activities in support of UNIFIL's mandate.
While highlighting the unique nature of the Liaison Branch and its deconfliction work, Col. Labouche further says it is a “very flexible tool” at the disposal of the UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander primarily, but ultimately benefiting a much broader spectrum of actors.
“Flexibility means that we are able to adapt to the situation,” he said. “The situation could be driven by the change in the behaviours of different actors. It could be changed by inputs from the leadership. It could be changed by key events, like weaponized tensions in some areas,” he added, emphasizing the work can be affected by multiple factors.
“The value of the Liaison Branch is being able – whatever the situation is – to fulfill its mission of liaison between all actors. Whatever the environment is, all actors have still a connection through the Liaison Branch, the Liaison Branch in the middle of them, being able to explain what should be done, what could be done, how it could be done.”
Although UNIFIL liaison officers dedicate themselves to obtaining deconfliction, that does not mean they can always guarantee how it translates on the ground. Therefore, in case of friction, teams are dispatched to the scene, to interact with different parties to solve to solve misunderstandings and facilitate the conduct of deconflicted missions.
Col. Labouche explains: “When it comes to the ground and we meet some friction for different reasons, the Liaison Branch is able to send a patrol with people whose mission is really to explain the purpose of a given activity, to explain or remind of its framework, meaning that there are agreements on both sides to make things happen on the ground. In this regard, impartiality is central to build trust that is key to design and reinforce long-lasting professional relations. Those ones prove crucial to fix problems, to de-escalate.”
Looking ahead
Even as UNIFIL’s mandate ends on 31 December, to be followed by its drawdown and withdrawal, the deconfliction role of the Liaison Branch will continue for some time.
Col. Labouche believes such a continued role can deliver a very quick added-value to deconflict as an uptick in UNIFIL movements is anticipated amidst the drawdown and withdrawal process.
“As UNIFIL will withdraw, there will be an increase of all movements… security conditions at the time of withdrawal will be critical to make sure everything unfolds safely, and nobody gets wounded or killed in some incidents,” he said. “That's the reason why until the very end of the mission, deconfliction will be required.”
