What is the Role of UN Peacekeepers?

GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 12:25:02 -0400

THE United Nations recently asked itself a soul-searching question: How have our blue-helmeted troops responded when civilians are attacked?

The answer: Not very effectively.

The peacekeepers failed to intercede with force in the 10 deadliest attacks between 2010 and 2013 in the war zones where they were sent, an internal investigation found. That included a clash in South Sudan that killed 600 civilians, one in Darfur that killed nearly as many and another that left more than 100 dead in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The report, published earlier this year, prompted hand-wringing at the highest levels of the organization, outrage among the countries paying for the 100,000 uniformed peacekeepers and an angry rebuttal from the countries that contribute most of the soldiers.

The tensions over peacekeeping resurfaced again last week when the countries sending troops demanded raises for their soldiers, complaining that they hadn’t received an increase in over a decade. The countries that fund the operations balked, saying the budget was already at record levels, exceeding $8 billion.

So heated did the deliberations become that each side had to be sent to a separate room and shuttle messages to each other through the chairman of the committee holding the talks.

Quarrels like these reflect deeper grievances below the surface of what the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, calls the organization’s flagship enterprise. Mr. Ban does not have a standing army. He relies instead on countries to contribute troops, tanks and money to restore peace in some of the thorniest war zones.

Rich countries have largely chosen not to send their soldiers to the missions; instead, they fund operations and set their mandates. Filling the gap are soldiers from poor countries, largely in Asia and Africa. Their diplomats fume privately that their soldiers are treated like cannon fodder. Donor countries fume privately that the peacekeepers aren’t doing what they’re supposed to: save lives.

“One side says, ‘you bleed more.’ The other side says, ‘you pay more,’ ” is how one United Nations official described the divide.

Bangladesh, India and Pakistan are the top three troop contributors, while the United States, Japan and France are the top three funders. As a result, the fights over peacekeeping often line up between the global south and north, with emerging world powers like India and Brazil demanding to sit at the Security Council, where decisions about peacekeeping are made.

“A reformed Security Council that is more representative of the contemporary world would have the increased legitimacy needed to craft demanding peacekeeping operation mandates,” said the Brazilian ambassador, Antônio de Aguiar Patriota, during a debate on peacekeeping last month in the Security Council.

Many of the countries that send peacekeepers argue that the Security Council ought to consult them before deciding what they will be mandated to do. If they felt included in the decision making, said one diplomat from a troop-contributing country, “They would be more aware, they would be better prepared, they would have better risk assessment.”

The secretary general, clearly aware of the grievances, has ordered a review of peacekeeping.

Now in its 65th year, the project is under increasing pressure. There are more conflicts in which peacekeepers are needed: 16 operations today. The soldiers face different risks: terrorist groups, transnational criminal gangs and hateful ethnic militias. They are also in low supply. Western countries are loath to send troops to countries where they have no immediate interests, and the United Nations has had trouble finding enough recruits. For instance, the surge of soldiers it promised for South Sudan in December has not materialized, and it’s unclear when the 12,000 soldiers and police officers promised for the Central African Republic will get there.

Not least, the peacekeepers’ mandates are increasingly involved with protecting civilians — and not, as was the case 20 years ago, keeping warring armies at bay. At the same time, peacekeeping has become increasingly expensive, now nudging up to over $8.5 billion a year, though still a fraction of the military budgets of most Western nations.

The outlay “is cheap if you’re succeeding,” said Bruce Jones, director of the Center for International Cooperation at New York University. “It’s expensive if you’re failing.”

Protecting civilians is an especially sensitive issue. The report covering 2010-2013 incidents found that peacekeepers used force mainly when they were attacked, and responded in barely one out of five cases in which civilians came under fire. The peacekeepers complained that they felt overstretched and underfunded, and thought the risks to be “higher than troop-contributing countries are willing to accept.” The report also said they sometimes consulted their capitals half a world away, rather than carry out commanders’ orders on the ground.

The United Nations’ top peacekeeping official, Hervé Ladsous, took issue with the report, saying the troops did more than use force to protect civilians, such as helping prevent confrontations and promoting political dialogue.

Not long after the report was released, news came of a rebel attack on a remote village in eastern Congo, in which 30 civilians were killed. Human Rights Watch reported that United Nations troops, stationed about five miles away, were “aware of the attack but did not intervene,” arriving two days later.

The costs were not lost on the Jordanian ambassador to the United Nations, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein, who was part of the peacekeeping mission in the former Yugoslavia. “Every time civilians are deserted by the United Nations, rather than protected, not only do the civilians tend to suffer, but of course the United Nations’ credibility takes a body blow,” he said. “These body blows, rather disturbingly, seem to be accumulating.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/sunday-review/what-is-the-role-of-un-peacekeepers.html?_r=0

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Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 30 at 2015 12:45 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 12:45:07 -0400

To me, it's a show of force to the enemy, and reassurance to the local population.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_peacekeeping

United Nations peacekeeping - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role held by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations as "a unique and dynamic instrument developed by the Organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace."[3] It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking.

Response by SPC(P) Jay Heenan made Jul 30 at 2015 12:53 PM

SPC(P) Jay Heenan — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 12:53:55 -0400

That is a fantastic question! I have often wondered why we even have them, I can't remember a time when I heard that they actaully "peace keeped" anything.

Response by MSgt C Madd made Jul 30 at 2015 12:54 PM

MSgt C Madd — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 12:54:02 -0400

Absolutely nothing.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Jul 30 at 2015 1:02 PM

Capt Seid Waddell — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 13:02:16 -0400

Think imbedded reporters with weapons that are not used.
UNlikely to help improve any situation.

Response by SSG Ricardo Marcial made Jul 30 at 2015 1:13 PM

SSG Ricardo Marcial — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 13:13:49 -0400

Depends on the country of origin, posting of units, and country specific ROE's. Even where multinational units are involved, not all participants are on the same page as far as ROE's are concerned.

There are plenty of recent examples of how UN peacekeepers are tied by rules from both the UN and they own countries and become a hindrance vs a force multiplier. Bosnia and Rwanda would be perfect examples of how they failed to protect the citizens. You are seeing some of this in Africa where Islamist have killed over 100 UN Peacekeepers over the last few months.

Response by LTC Ed Ross made Jul 30 at 2015 6:35 PM

LTC Ed Ross — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 18:35:13 -0400

Unfortunately too many countries get involved in peacekeeping for the money they receive me UN.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 1 at 2015 4:12 AM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 04:12:26 -0400

The United Nations has the potential to be amazing. The problem is it doesn't have the ability to enforce anything and there are too many leaders that all need to approve action before it can happen.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Sep 11 at 2015 12:10 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Fri, 11 Sep 2015 12:10:02 -0400

To verify people are being slaughtered as thousands of Muslim men were rounded up for genocide in Bosnia.

Response by MSgt John Carroll made Oct 28 at 2015 8:16 PM

MSgt John Carroll — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:16:43 -0400

*Irrelevant to the topic* I want one of those trucks. I see a boat propeller. That can make the commute to work a lot more fun.

Response by GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad made Oct 29 at 2015 11:38 PM

GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 23:38:16 -0400

Response by SGT William Howell made Oct 30 at 2015 9:27 AM

SGT William Howell — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:27:20 -0400

Their roll is to be the guys that sit on the base and buy up all the stuff at the PX before soldiers get back from patrol. Pretty sure that is their job. I have never seen them do anything else.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 30 at 2015 2:59 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 14:59:40 -0400

To record genocides.