The United Nations Peacekeepers in African Countries - Essay Example

Does UN Peacekeeping Work? and UN peacekeeping Introduction Opinioned views regarding the effectiveness of the UN peacekeeping have been forwarded, with opponents heartily arguing that UN has failed and remained ineffective, and proponents arguing that if not for the UN peacekeepers, many countries would not be the way they are today, enjoying the peace and stability present (Macqueen, 2008). The UN peacekeeping forces are the second largest force in the world, deploying its over 100,000 personnel to over four continents in the world (UNMission, 2014). The forces are contributed by the UN member countries and they have been seen to deliver satisfactory work all over the world, especially in the African countries where issues of violence and ethnic crashes have left scores maimed and injured, and many thousands dead. Currently, the UN peacekeepers have been deployed to Somalia and to Afghanistan where the state of peace is yet to be fully achieved (UNMisssion, 2014). The unique aspect that distinguishes the UN peacekeepers from other forces such as the United States or NATO forces is the fact that they (UN) deploy their forces to war-torn regions where other forces are not willing to go or cannot access. The UN peacekeepers are usually deployed in the world’s most dangerous soils, either to cool down an ongoing conflict, to prevent conflicts from occurring or to prevent wars and conflicts from escalating. However, as stated earlier, there are many voiced opinions on whether the UN peacekeeping works or not. This paper embarks on finding an answer to this question. To do so, a brief background of the UN peacekeeping shall be provided. The success or failure of the UN peacekeeping shall also be evaluated by use of several case studies and thereafter, probable solutions on how the effectiveness of the UN can be boosted shall be provided. Finally, a conclusion shall be drawn. UN peacekeeping background Established in 1948, the UN peacekeepers first mission was to monitor an agreement between Israel and its Arabian neighbours. This was the famous United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO) and as the name suggests, the role of the peacekeepers was top ensure that both parties kept their end of their peace deal strike (Bellamy, Paul and Stuart, 2010). The peacekeeping unit was born at an appropriate time, when the Cold war rivalries were quick to paralyze the Security Council. The main intent towards the formation of UN peacekeeping was to help provide solutions in conflicting countries, prevent the occurrence of wars and to neutralize existing ceasefires between warring countries. At the early days, the UN missions deployed comprised of military officers who were usually unarmed and others who were lightly armed (MacQueen, 2008). This is because their main aims were to be independent observers in peace treaties signed and also to ensure free and fair elections for countries that had recently come out of wars. Simply put, the UN peacekeeping missions were basic human right enforcers. The Suez Canal was the first mission where armed peacekeepers were deployed, in 1956 (Ahere, 2009). ONUC, the operation in Congo was the first large scale operation where over 20,000 peacekeepers were deployed as Ahere (2009) informs. Short term missions were later established between 1960’s and the 1970’ with successful operations taking place in Yemen, West New Guinea, and Cyprus among others (Howard, 2008). As a result, UN peacekeeping was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988 and was termed as having made imperative contributions in achieving peace and promoting the respect for human rights (Murphy, 2007). After the cold war ended, the number of peacekeepers and the peacekeeping operations drastically increased. The 1990’s, commonly referred to as the assessment period saw a drastic change in the UN peacekeeping as they experienced a shift from a traditional to a multidimensional scope of operations. The forces became more involved and even used more weapons than before. In this period, the number of forces further increased to 75,000 as the work to be done was more demanding (MacQueen, 2008). The expectations heaped on the UN were further raised and hence the organisation had to increase its membership. There were more missions in Somalia, Yugoslavia, and Rwanda among others as Ahere (2009) notes. However, the work of the UN peacekeepers became harder as the warring parties failed to adhere and honour the terms in the peace treaties they signed and as a result, more people died and the casualties increased. In the 21st century, more membership was witnessed and the roles of the UN peacekeepers were ardently reaffirmed to cater for the increasing demand. The expectations further increased and more roles were developed, especially with increasing need for the UN peacekeepers in African countries. Some of them included Burundi, Cote d’ Ivoire, Liberia, and Ethiopia among others. Situations became more complex and the budgetary demands for the over 80,000 personnel increased (Roland, 2010). The UN peacekeepers faced challenges in preparing and making plans for unforeseen future wars and conflicts, making and developing suitable strategies for the different circumstances that different warring parties presented and maintain peace where in countries where their presence had helped to achieve some degree of stability. Presently, the UN peacekeepers are faced with criticisms from all sides and are termed as insufficient. Some opponents have even gone ahead to argue that the UN peacekeepers have failed them when they needed them the most. This has put the UN under much pressure in ensuring that they deliver to or beyond the expectations of the people. Successful operations The UN peacekeepers have successfully executed their operations in the past. It has been successful in mitigating the probable effects of wars in some countries if it were to occur, has helped in calming down warring countries and has seen to the effect of terms agreed on in peace treaties among others. Research conducted in a 2008 study showed that 2 out of 3 missions carried out by the UN peacekeepers were successful (Ahere, 2009). However, people dispute the result of this study and say that the figures do not represent the true picture in the ground. The work of the UN peacekeepers in Namibia, Salvador, Sierra Leone and Cambodia are all examples of successful missions carried out by the UN peacekeepers. The UN, in the above countries helped to bring peace through mediation, support for free and fair elections and helped in frameworks for reconstruction of the countries. For example, after its 2007/2008 elections, Kenya fell into conflicts and ethnic wars where over 1000 people died, scores injured and thousands were left homeless (Ahere, 2009). The dispute arose as a result of a disagreement over the election results where there were accusations of rigging. Mwai Kibaki’s and Raila Odinga’s supporters disputed and the war broke out (Ahere, 2009). The ethnicity created hatred and the Kenyan forces were not able to control the situation. In addition, the two principles did not seem to agree on an optimum and suitable solution for the situation. However, after some time, Kofi Annan helped the two principals to reach an amicable solution of power sharing and this, to a great extent, helped to mitigate the effects of the post election violence. This truce also brought an end to the violence between the warring communities. A relative amount of success was also witnessed in Rwanda as the UN peacekeepers helped to restore peace and calmness in the country. Opponents argue that the UN peacekeepers took too long to respond and the delay caused a great loss of lives, one of the worst recorded massacres in the world. However, their provision of food and medical suppliers to war-torn countries, and in particular, in Rwanda further depicts the importance and success of the UN peacekeeping forces (Murphy, 2007). As seen, this is one example of the many successful missions that the UN peacekeepers have conducted. In addition to the above, it has also succeeded in other ways and roles. To begin with, it registered much success in creation of nuclear non-proliferation pact. This has proven effective since there haven’t been explosions of nuclear bombs, not after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. The Ottawa convention, which is a further campaign for human rights, is an indicator of the success of UN peacekeepers (MacQueen, 2007). The UN peacekeepers were among the forefront players in the formation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This has greatly promoted the respect and observation of the rights of Children and Women, especially in the developing countries. The Kyoto Protocol, the establishment of the International Criminal Court and the measures for eradication of smallpox and polio are further indicators of the success of the UN (Jacobson, 2012). Cases of UN failures However, as opponents argue, the UN has also failed in its peacekeeping duties. Since the end of the cold war, the main duty that the UN has focused on is to prevent and minimise the chances of conflicts and wars recurring. To a great extent, it has succeeded but has also failed. A good example of the failures is represented in the Rwandan Genocide. Many people believe that the UN was the reason for the peace in the Rwandan genocide. True, the forces played a big role but to a greater extent, the also failed. Their main failure was in the fact that they did not let the world know what was going on in Rwanda (Fortna, 2007). One article published by a female survivor of the Rwandan genocide told of how the UN peacekeepers were reluctant to help one of the tribes, and further failed to air through the media, the condition on the ground. As a result, the number of deaths increased in the 100 days killing spree, resulting to the death of more than 800,000 people and scores remained maimed, orphans, homeless and disabled (Fortna, 2007). After the African countries were finally delivered from the hands of the colonialists, there were scores of problems in the different countries. The countries, in the early nineties were involved in wrangles and conflicts and this made them warring soils. Statistics show that between 1990 and 1997, approximately 16 wars occurred in Africa (Ahere, 2009). 14 of the wars were intrastate and 2 were interstate and this further made the people vulnerable (Ahere, 2009). The UN had a huge burden of restoring peace and ensuring that the wars did not occur again. The war in Sudan, Darfur, is an indicator of the failure of UN peacekeeping. In addition, the ongoing war in Sudan is a big indicator of how the UN can and has failed (UNMissions, 2014). Even though peace is slowing being reinstated and restored, with people slowly settling back into their villages, many have been killed and the governance of the country has greatly been disrupted. There are many other indicators of how the UN has failed. Modern terrorism has become an issue of major concern as many countries are greatly suffering from this issue. The September 11th attacks further show the threat and effects of modern terrorism. Nuclear proliferation is also another indicator as the stockpile for these weapons remains relatively high. Countries such as North Korea, Pakistan and India are still manufacturing the nuclear weapons (Fortna, 2004). This has mainly been as a result of UN’s failure to enforce the laws and regulations laid down regarding nuclear proliferation. The UN also has a responsibility of protecting the women and children’s rights and as statistics reveal, they have greatly failed, especially in African countries. In some of the countries, cases or child sexual abuse were reported but the senior UN officers were adamant to take any action (Doyle and Sambanis, 2006). They figured out that if they did, they would drive off any forces and this would leave the country at a perilous position. The table below is a reflection of the cases. Haiti, Bosnia and Cambodia are well known for child prostitution and nothing much has been done to curb this vice. Figure 1: Incidences of sexual exploitation and abuse However, studies and research show that a big proportion of people are not content with the operations and conduct of the UN peacekeeping. In addition, studies by Lickider, Doyles and Sambani’s (2000) show that there are higher chances of war resuming in countries where the UN has helped to restore peace. Fortna also notes that the UN has made great efforts and succeeded in keeping peace after the end of interstate wars (Fortna, 2004; Fortna, 2006). Measures to increase efficiency There seems to be a brewing misconception over what the UN can do, should do and what is expected to do. People end up expecting too much from the UN and when the organisation fails to deliver as per the expectations, blames are shifted and the people feel disappointed (Sitkowski, 2006). Fortna (2002) argues that in most circumstances, the governments in countries are the ones that fail to deliver to their people and end up using the UN as a scapegoat for their inefficiencies. It is important to realize that the measures that work in one country might not necessarily work on another and hence, one should take time to analyse the requirements of a country in terms of peace and conflict resolution, and keenly evaluate the percentage of what the UN peacekeeping has achieved before concluding that it has failed. Having established that there are some areas where the UN peacekeepers have failed, it is important that solutions be found to increase the effectiveness of the organisation. This part of the work is therefore a recommendation of what can be done. To begin with, the UN organisations should work towards identifying common challenges that face different countries so that in case of conflicts, optimal measures can quickly be taken as suggested by Jacobson (2012). Having problem solving tools well laid out beforehand saves time when wars erupt. The problems and peace needs in the different member countries are multifaceted but identifying closely related challenges and problems makes it easier to deploy different personnel when need arises. Secondly, other organisations should also increase their support to the UN peacekeeping efforts. At times, the UN is left with the burden of addressing political conflicts alone. This makes it more challenging as different ideas are needed and more forces too. An example of where such was done and the results showed the effectiveness was in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM mission). NATO gave support to the UN and the mission was all successful (Doyle and Sambanis, 2006; Fortna, 2007). Regional organisations, therefore, have a role to play too. To further increase the effectiveness, the UN organisation should cut down the build up stocks of nuclear weapons and small arms that are used to address conflicts in different countries. This is from the fact that upon its inception, the organisation was meant to promote peace with minimal use of firearms (Jacobson, 2012). This will therefore reduce the number of deaths resulting from the use of firearms. It will also show the warring nations that peaceful resolution of conflicts is the best way to solve disputes. This will also lead to a reduction on human and economic resources that are currently being channeled to armaments acquisition. Another thing that can be done is to fortify the conception of the responsibility to protect. Where countries are still faced with humanitarian issues and the governance has failed to protect its citizens, peace fostering organisations such as UN should greatly intervene; the international organisations should further indulge the country’s humanitarian on human rights groups, teaching them on how to promote peace in their country (Ahere, 2009). Peace education should also be introduced to all people including young children. In addition, a non-violence culture should be taught encouraged to substitute the gun culture. Killing is never a solution to violence. Lastly, one of the many other reasons as to why the UN has been ineffective is the lack of sufficient funding (Murphy, 2007; Bellamy, Paul and Stuart, 2010). The budgetary allocations to the organisations, at times, make it disorienting and disheartening to the forces, exposing them to cases of corruption, bribery and other vices. In countries of hardship where development is yet at its peak and there is much poverty, means of survival might be hard for the personnel. Even with the increase in budget as shown below, the funds are still not enough. The diagram below is a comparison between the regular budget and that of the UN between 1986 and 2006. Figure 2: Regular and peacekeeping budgets Conclusion Doyle and Sambani’s (2000) argue that third parties involved in peacekeeping practices have no effect on how long peace lasts. Fortna (2004) on the other hand argues that the UN will only be effective in keeping peace if there is any peace to keep in a country. It is not possible to adequately answer the UN peacekeeping really works but on a scale of ten, its effectiveness can be rated at 7. In a bid to figure out whether UN is effective, one finds that the three types of peacekeeping types work differently. Traditional peacekeeping, observer missions and multidimensional peacekeeping all work differently. However, as earlier mentioned, there are many countries that can narrate success stories from the intervention of the UN and hence it cannot be concluded that the UN has failed in its peacekeeping efforts. In addition, the UN has applied fairly and equally the three principles that guide its operations. They include warring parties consent, impartiality and non use of force. This has further been used to depict the rate of success that the UN has achieved. Even though it has its limits and failures, the UN can be said to be successful in its peacekeeping operations. References Ahere, J., 2009. Critical analysis of the United Nations peacekeeping Missions in Africa. Nairobi: Nairobi University Press. Bellamy, A., Paul D., and Stuart G, 2010. Understanding peacekeeping. Cambridge: Polity Publishers.  Doyle, M., and Sambanis N., 2000. ‘International Peace building: A theoretical and quantitative analysis,’ American Political Science Review, 94 (4), pp. 779-801  Doyle, M., and Sambanis N., 2006. Making war and building peace: United Nations peace operations. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Fortna, V., 2002. Does peacekeeping keep peaceafter civil war? And if so, how? [Online] Available at [Accessed 22nd March 2014]. Fortna, V., 2004. ‘Does peacekeeping keep peace? International Intervention and the duration of peace after civil war,’ International Studies Quarterly 48 (2), pp. 269-292.  Fortna, V., 2007. Does peacekeeping work? Shaping belligerents’ choices after civil war. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Howard, L., 2008. UN peacekeeping in civil wars. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.  Jacobson, T., 2012.UN Peacekeeping: Few successes, many failures, inherent flaws. [Online] Available at [Accessed 22nd March 2014]. MacQueen, N., 2008. Peacekeeping in the International system . London: Routledge.  Murphy, R., 2007. UN peacekeeping in Lebanon, Somalia and Kosovo: Operational and legal issues in practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Roland, P., 2010. ‘Saving liberal peace building’ Review of International Studies 36 (2), pp 337-365  Sitkowski, A., 2006. UN peacekeeping: Myth and reality. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group. U.N. org, 2014.Somalia-UNOSOM 1. U.N.org [Online] Available at [Accessed 22nd March 2014]. UNmissions., 2014. Current peacekeeping missions. UNmissions.org. [Online] Available at [Accessed 21st March 2014]. Read More