Analysing the Effectiveness of the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations: Case of in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan (Darfur).

Mkeremy, Mbaraka Naziad (2023) Analysing the Effectiveness of the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations: Case of in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan (Darfur). Doctoral thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

Africa is a major host of peacekeeping operations (PKOs) in the world following the deterioration of peace and security after the Cold War. PKOs in some conflict areas in the continent have been on the ground for over two decades. Against this backdrop, this study evaluated the effectiveness of the United Nations PKOs in two case studies in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan (Darfur). It addressed four specific objectives: a) to examine the origin and purpose of UNPKOs; b) to analyse the mode of operation and challenges faced by UNPKOs; c) to examine the effectiveness of UNPKOs, and d) to recommend strategies for greater effectiveness of the UNPKOs. The study was informed by the Political Economy theory. The theory’s key assumption is that conflicts happen between social classes mainly for economic gains and their mitigation may be influenced by the gains. Data were collected from 100 respondents in Tanzania, DRC, and Sudan (Darfur) from 2019 to 2023. Findings show that PKOs have evolved from their traditional state to into robust PKOs. This research established that PKOs in Africa are largely ineffective especially in protecting civilians. The PKOs in DRC and Sudan (Darfur) qualify this finding. One challenge that limits the effectiveness of the PKOs is the unpredictable changes on the security environment from contests for economic gains in the areas of PKO operations. This study recommends that the UN and other stakeholders should revise their peacekeeping frameworks for the PKOs to have clearly defined and achievable mandates to respond to the complexities and changes in the conflict environment in Africa. Keywords: United Nations, Peacekeeping operations, Conflict, Protection of Civilians, Africa, Darfur, DRC, Armed Groups

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