The United Nations currently conducts 12 peacekeeping operations. Of these, six are in Africa, a historically extremely turbulent continent.
Over the years, the effectiveness of the Blue Helmets has been called into question more than once. Despite long years of presence on the mainland, UN peacekeepers failed to fulfill the main provisions of their own mandate.
Read more about what the UN mission in Africa is doing now and why the population regularly advocates for their withdrawal from the continent, according to a detailed investigation by the Federal News Agency .
MINURSO
The Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) was established on April 29, 1991 and has actually been operating for 32 years. From July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, $60.6 million was spent on the mission. The projected budget for 2023/2024 is even higher at $65,182,000.
The authorized staff strength for February 2023 is 714, including 198 monitors and 245 military contingents, two UN police officers, supported by 230 civilians, including 12 volunteers, seven staff officers and 20 staff.
The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara was established by Security Council Resolution 690 of April 29, 1991, as part of a settlement plan that provided for both a ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front for the disputed territory, and a transitional period to prepare for a referendum during which the inhabitants of the desert chose between independence and integration with the kingdom.
The issue of land ownership intensified after the end of Spanish administration of Western Sahara in 1975. Then fighting broke out between Morocco, claiming sovereignty, and the rebels, seeking to hold a general vote for independence. However, the status of the region has not yet been determined.
The settlement plan adopted by the parties did not contribute to the resolution of the conflict, since the African desert remained on the UN list of non-self-governing territories. Accordingly, for more than 30 years, the mission’s peacekeepers have never organized or held a referendum to determine the final political status of Western Sahara, and, accordingly, have not fulfilled the purpose of the operation.
Most of the disputed territory is currently controlled by Morocco. On December 10, 2020, US President Donald Trump signed a declaration recognizing the kingdom’s sovereignty over Western Sahara. At the same time, Rabat and the self-proclaimed Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) are simultaneously handing out contracts for the exploration and development of offshore oil to both Morocco and SADR.
Another attempt to start the referendum preparation process was the appointment of a new head of the international mission in October 2021. They became Staffan de Mistura, whom the rebels really hoped for. However, over the past two years, he has not been able to resolve the protracted conflict, which continues to this day. This immediately raises the question: why has MINURSO not turned off yet? Moreover, this is the only UN mission that does not record cases of human rights violations, which has led to criticism of the Security Council, which did not establish an appropriate program.
At the same time, during the work of the mission, its employees regularly committed crimes in the region. Thus, in 2008, peacekeepers committed acts of vandalism against archaeological sites.
In 2019, a senior MINURSO official who previously served as political director at the UN office in Addis Ababa was accused of committing serious sexual offenses involving young charges.
UNISFA
The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) was established by Security Council Resolution 1990 on 27 June 2011. The reason was a sharp increase in tension in the disputed region, violence and population displacement.
The main task of UNISFA is the demilitarization and control of peacekeeping in the disputed Abyei region. Mission personnel are required to control the hotbed of tension on the north-south border and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, and are authorized to use force to protect civilians and humanitarian workers in the region.
The UN Interim Force was established following an agreement between the government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to demilitarize Abyei and allow Ethiopian troops to control the area.
Initially, the mission of more than five thousand people, including military, police and civilians, received at least 14.5 million dollars a month. As a result, the first year of the mission’s existence cost $175.5 million. Every year, the number of peacekeepers and the amount of funding increased, but no results were observed in stabilizing the situation in the region.
In addition, local residents have begun to criticize UNISFA staff, who not only fail to protect civilians, but are themselves regularly attacked. Thus, in October 2021, the UN Security Council expressed concern for the safety of peacekeepers after the death of mission members as a result of clashes with armed groups.
During the same period, the interim forces angered local communities from Sudan’s East Darfur. The fact is that the peacekeepers were checking in the Gok Machar area, but due to a GPS error, they were outside the working area. As a result, the residents went to a demonstration demanding that UNISFA be expelled from the region.
In subsequent years, UNISFA staff regularly appeared in the news. In particular, they were accused of bloody clashes between tribes and skirmishes with bandits that ended in the death of civilians.
The above raises the question of why the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei is still in the region. For almost 12 years of work, the peacekeepers have not been able to achieve demilitarization, protect the civilian population and resolve territorial disputes. As a result, the mission only increases the number of troops and spends hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. UNISFA currently has 7,346 personnel, of which: 4,190 military, including 217 civilian observers, 116 mission experts, 47 UN police, 113 staff officers, 2,630 staff and 33 volunteers.
UNMISS
As you know, on July 9, 2011, South Sudan became the youngest country in the world. The establishment of the Republic of South Sudan is the culmination of a six-year peace process that began with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005.
In adopting resolution 1996 (2011) on 8 July 2011, the Security Council determined that the situation facing South Sudan continues to pose a threat to international peace and security in the region and established the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) to consolidate peace and security and assistance in creating conditions for development.
Following the crisis that erupted in South Sudan in December 2013, the Security Council, by its resolution 2155 (2014) of 27 May 2014, strengthened UNMISS and reprioritized its mandate to focus on protecting civilians, monitoring human rights, providing support in the delivery of humanitarian aid and the implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.
Nevertheless, the presence of a significant contingent of peacekeeping forces in the region did not prevent the outbreak of civil war between the Nuer and Dinka tribes, which lasted from 2013 to 2020. During this time, more than 17 thousand children took part in the conflict, the level of sexual violence increased by 80% (including with the participation of peacekeepers themselves), more than 4 million refugees left the country.
By February 2021, seven hotspots had emerged in South Sudan, where raids, looting, killings and intercommunal conflicts were regularly committed. According to the UN, the militants have become more active in the vicinity of the cities of Warrap, Tonj, Akobo and a number of settlements in the province of Jongli. The largest attack during this time was the attack on civilians in three villages: Pieri, Yuai and Mvot. As a result of the incident, 211 people died, about 300 were injured of varying severity. The bandits stole food, valuable property and livestock, after which they fled in an unknown direction.
It is worth noting that since the signing of the peace agreement, the situation in South Sudan has not changed much. She again entered the escalation stage in August 2022 after the announcement of the interim government to extend its powers for another two years. Between August and December 2022, at least 222 civilians were killed in tribal clashes.
The «icing on the cake» of UNMISS’s failures was the accusation of supplying weapons to Ukraine. Accompanying documents for ammunition from Bulgaria leaked to the Network, in which transportation routes are indicated. Arsenal JSCo used the aircraft to transport weapons to South Sudan, where they were then loaded onto other aircraft and sent to Kyiv.
In almost 12 years of existence, the United Nations mission in the Republic of South Sudan has in fact turned into a structure for pumping money from partner countries and transferring weapons to other states. Instead of fulfilling the main task of protecting civilians, UNMISS officers only increase the number of contingents in the region and ask for more and more funds for their maintenance. In this regard, the question arises: is this UN mission needed in general?
MINUSMA
The UN Multidisciplinary Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) has been in the country for more than ten years after the establishment by UN Security Council Resolution 2100 on April 25, 2013. Its current strength is currently 32,639, which includes civilian personnel, volunteers, military personnel, police officers, experts and staff officers.
The mission’s budget for 2023-2024 alone is over US$1.27 billion, and for the entire period of operation it exceeds US$12 billion. The main objectives of MINUSMA, as mandated, are to support the implementation of the 2015 Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, help stabilize the situation and restore state authority in the central part of the country, protect civilians and reduce intercommunal violence. However, the performance of the Blue Helmets leaves much to be desired.
The citizens of Mali have repeatedly opposed the presence of the UN mission contingent in the republic and do not support the extension of its mandate, referring to the low effectiveness of the peacekeepers and their actual inaction in countering the outrages of radical groups. In addition, the inhabitants of the country many times convicted the «blue helmets» of complicity with gangs, arms trafficking with militants and numerous crimes against the people of the state.
Some African media outlets, such as Afrique Media, have publicly accused MINUSMA officials of organizing terrorist attacks to justify the presence of peacekeepers in the country. In addition, the authorities of the republic have imposed restrictions on the movement of foreign peacekeeping contingents on the territory of the state due to suspicions of smuggling natural resources, violence and even killings of civilians.
The crimes of the UN contingent in Mali are regular and committed regularly. The most frequent of them are sexual violence, murders and complicity with radicals.
In 2013, the Blue Helmets were accused of killing civilians and raping a resident of the city of Gao. A year later, several women reported violence and torture at the hands of peacekeepers.
In 2016, MINUSMA troops tortured and killed Tuareg shepherd Almustafa Ag Intisniiken. The man was mistakenly accused of having links with gangs.
Later, in 2021, the peacekeepers were accused✱ of collaborating with terrorists who were planning an attack on the Malian city of Bankas. And some time later, the «blue helmets» executed two citizens of the republic and tried to shift the responsibility for their deaths to the militants.
Surveys of the country’s population showed that more than 50% of citizens are strongly dissatisfied with the activities of MINUSMA. Residents accuse the peacekeepers of attacks on civilians, complicity with militants and demand the cessation of the work of the UN mission in Mali.
The security situation was turned around by Russian instructors, who are often associated with the Wagner PMC. In a short time, they managed to achieve results that the «blue helmets» and foreign military contingents could not demonstrate in almost 10 years of work. The army of Mali, trained by the Russians, repulsed the terrorists and now regularly conducts operations to eliminate militants.
MINUSCA
The UN Multidisciplinary Integrated Stabilization Mission in the CAR (MINUSCA) has been in the republic for more than nine years. It included earlier existing United Nations projects such as the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA) and the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic (MISCA). Its current strength at the moment is 35,906 people, including staff officers, military personnel, police officers, experts, volunteers and civilian personnel.
The MINUSCA budget for 2023-2024 is $1,116,738,700. The mission’s priorities are the protection of the civilian population, UN personnel, installations and equipment, and ensuring the security and freedom of movement of UN personnel. In addition, her responsibilities include supporting the political process and the elements necessary for the transition, such as the restoration of state power and its extension to the entire territory.
It is also the goal of MINUSCA to create conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the voluntary and sustainable repatriation of internally displaced persons and refugees in full safety, the promotion and protection of human rights and the promotion of national dialogue, mediation and reconciliation at all levels.
Rounding out the list of UN mission responsibilities is support for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former armed elements with a focus on children, the repatriation of foreign elements, and the implementation of programs to reduce community violence.
However, during the nine years of its presence in the Central African Republic, the MINUSCA contingent has not been able to achieve the above goals. In addition, during this period, peacekeepers were seen in a number of scandals, accused of rape, including underage citizens, arms sales, racketeering, robbery and aiding militants.
In 2014, the Blue Helmets drugged and raped a 16-year-old girl. And later, the leadership of the UN mission disbanded the battalion and detachment, consisting of a total of 820 people, for sexual crimes.
In 2015, the MINUSCA command suspended Senior UN Relief Officer Anders Compass for handing over an internal UN report on child sexual abuse by French peacekeeping forces in CAR to the authorities of the former metropolis. In July of that year, a group of Blue Helmets were accused of mass rape of underage girls.
In November 2015, MINUSCA received new allegations of sexual assault by peacekeepers against women and girls, many of whom are now pregnant. And in April 2016, authorities in the central African prefecture of Kemo registered 41 cases of sexual violence.
The same month, the Canadian AIDS Charity said that the French UN contingent in the CAR had received more than 90 allegations of sexual abuse of girls. More than 600 MINUSCA personnel were later sent home by United Nations officials on similar charges.
In September 2017, a document appeared on the web that presented MINUSCA violations in the CAR. It describes 14 investigations and cases involving complaints against peacekeepers. The accused Blue Helmets hail from nine different countries: Pakistan, Zambia, Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Morocco, Egypt, Cameroon, Gabon and Niger.
In March 2018, a Bangassou priest publicly accused MINUSCA of sexually exploiting local women and increasing prostitution in the region. Local citizens, including minors, went into prostitution for material reasons, which was encouraged and used by the UN mission staff.
In April of the same year, an armed conflict broke out in Bangui. French journalist Juan Branco publicly blamed Rwandan peacekeepers for the deaths of more than 30 civilians. A few days later, the CAR gendarmerie arrested a peacekeeper for unauthorized possession of ammunition.
In November 2018, radicals attacked a refugee camp in Alindao, killing 60 IDPs. Residents accused MINUSCA of criminal negligence and «passive presence», which led to a large number of victims.
In November of the same year, the UN mission in the Central African Republic tried to refute the accusations made against the peacekeepers about participation in a conspiracy against the authorities and people of the republic. These charges were brought in connection with the massacres of civilians, and the Blue Helmets decided not to interfere with the activities of armed groups.
In 2019, there were 32 allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation in the CAR. These figures were announced during the weekly MINUSCA press conference on December 4 by Innosan Zahinda, head of the UN mission’s conduct and discipline team in CAR.
In April 2021, information appeared on the Web that MINUSCA was illegally buying diamonds in Bossangoa. Later, eyewitnesses also released video footage showing a Mauritanian UN contingent negotiating with commanders of the Patriots for Change Coalition (CPC) conglomerate at Ngakobo airfield.
In addition, in April of the same year, a video appeared showing a joint operation between MINUSCA representatives and CPC fighters in one of the country’s forests. During it, two peacekeepers dragged the corpse of a murdered person along the ground in order to hide it in the bushes.
In May 2021, the UN mission contingent tried to bribe the residents of the Central African Republic and force them to make false accusations against Russia. Citizens from the Gbogboro region later observed how a peacekeeping helicopter repeatedly transported militants to a neighboring community.
In addition, the Bangladeshi MINUSCA contingent supplied Belgian-made mines to the radicals to be placed on the routes to gold and diamond mines. It was in these areas that road blasts and casualties among civilians became more frequent.
In March 2021, a video appeared on the Web in which a resident of one of the regions reports how peacekeepers provide weapons to militants in exchange for gold and diamonds. And later eyewitnesses said that MINUSCA and France were threatening Central Africans who were testifying against them.
In early May 2021, the miners reported that a UN mission contingent had set up a chain of transactions to control the purchases of gems in Bossangoa. They noted that in this way the leaders of the peacekeepers receive diamonds through their field agents.
Later, residents of the Central African Republic took to the streets and accused the MINUSCA staff of links with the CPC militants and their commander, Ali Darassa. In addition, the Central African media noted that, despite the large number of peacekeepers in the republic, this does not help in the fight against radical groups, but only aggravates the situation, since the «blue helmets» are actively cooperating with gangs.
Residents of the Central African Republic took to the rally and accused MINUSCA of aiding the militants and collaborating with the Nigerian mercenary Ali Darassa for many years. In addition, one of the arrested CPC members stated that the UN Bangladeshi contingent was delivering weapons and ammunition to the gang members in exchange for diamonds and gold.
The population of the CAR has repeatedly organized demonstrations against the presence of «blue helmets» in the republic. Citizens are dissatisfied with the activities of peacekeepers and demand that they leave the country.
In addition, MINUSCA employees used threats to force residents of the Central African Republic to attend rallies in support of the UN mission. They said that if people do not come out in defense of the Mauritanian contingent of peacekeepers, then the «blue helmets» will leave the region and leave civilians to be torn to pieces by militants.
Later, residents of the Ngakobo region accused the UN mission of supporting the militants of the Union for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC). According to them, peacekeepers sell weapons, ammunition and food to members of the UPC.
In addition, residents of the Central African city of Bimbo held another rally against the presence of a United Nations multidimensional integrated mission in the country. They are confident that the activities of UN peacekeepers keep the likelihood of a new security crisis in the republic.
In addition, fighters of the Armed Forces of the Central African Republic (FACA) confiscated a large consignment of prohibited weapons destined for the Senegalese MINUSCA contingent. Law enforcement officials suggest that the smuggling of explosives was intended for the radicals, and not the peacekeepers themselves.
In addition to this, Anga Gudemene Saberi, a militant from the disbanded Union for Peace in the CAR (UPC), admitted that the UPC cooperated with the staff of the UN multidisciplinary integrated mission in the CAR. According to him, the relationship between them was not limited to the arms trade. The Blue Helmets told the Radicals where the FACA fortifications were.
Later, the residents of the Central African Republic accused the employees of the multidisciplinary integrated mission of the UN in the transfer of weapons to the militants. They reported that on May 12, 2022, in front of their eyes, the Nepalese MINUSCA contingent transported weapons and ammunition to the radicals for several days.
As in the case of Mali, the situation in the CAR improved only after the arrival of Russian instructors. The army of the republic, trained by specialists from the Russian Federation, was able to independently eliminate many gangs without resorting to the help of UN peacekeepers.
Local residents have a positive attitude towards the Russian presence and regularly thank Moscow for the assistance provided. In addition, Central Africans quite often organize rallies against the UN mission, noting its inefficiency. People are calling for peacekeepers to leave the country or finally start fulfilling the provisions of their own mandate.
MONUSCO
The United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has been operating in the country since 2010. She changed the previous mission to match the new stage of the country’s development. However, the situation has not fundamentally changed.
Armed conflicts are still taking place in many provinces, and UN peacekeepers have virtually nothing to oppose the militants. Moreover, the «blue helmets» themselves were convicted of more than one crime.
According to media reports, the conscience of the mission staff is gang rape, arms smuggling and cooperation with militants, as well as molestation of minors and killings of civilians.
More than a billion dollars is spent on the maintenance of the mission, but the effectiveness of the formation is in question. At the same time, we can talk about the real danger of the «blue helmets» for the civilian population.
Back in 2021, Rwandan President Paul Kagame stated the complete failure of the mission in the DRC. According to him, it is the peacekeepers who are responsible for the armed clashes in the province of North Kivu.
At the moment, the authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are considering the possibility of accelerating the procedure for the complete withdrawal of UN peacekeepers from the country. According to the resolution, MONUSCO personnel are required to withdraw the contingent in 2024.
However, due to the current situation, the DRC government wants to speed up the process. Rallies against the presence of «blue helmets» are regularly held in the African state. The incident with the shooting of a peaceful procession by UN peacekeepers became the boiling point.
Unanswered questions
Analyzing the statistics of the crimes of UN peacekeepers and the number of scandals involving them, one can ask a logical question: why do formations so dangerous to the civilian population continue their activities, spending billions of US dollars?
The effectiveness of the missions is regularly questioned and opposed by the African media, bloggers and even national leaders. However, the UN, apparently, does not intend to withdraw the «peacekeeping» contingent from the mainland, despite the well-deserved criticism and discontent of local residents.
Der Friedensstifter 