The United Nations peacekeeping: forces Keeping a peace where there is no peace
Seble Demeke
The United Nations in its Charter, Chapter
VII, Article 39, provides the Security
Council the power to maintain international
peace and security. The
Council has used this power to prevent situations
which might lead to international conflicts.
The Council has also authorized regional
organizations to assume the responsibility of
keeping and/or observing peace in their respective
regions when the circumstance requires
such action at the regional level.
Since the beginning of Peacekeeping Operations,
United Nations Military observers
have been killed by one or the other party in
the conflict. Although a limited amount of risk
is taken by the organization when sending
unarmed military observers to conflict areas,
the understanding and/or assumption is that
some kind of agreement is reached between
the United Nations and the parties in the conflict
concerning the safety of the military
observers. Such safety is yet to be seen. Since
day one of peacekeeping missions, United
Nations Military Peacekeepers / Observers /
Monitors continued to be killed on duty. A
good example of this is the United Nations
Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus whereby
11,184 casualties have been registered since
the beginning of the operation in 1964. The
United Nations has lost 13,896 military
observers in the conflict between India and
Pakistan since 1949. As a matter of fact in both
places there still is no peace, not even the
hope for peace is yet in sight. The world
watches a continuous blood shed in these and
other areas. The question is, for how long will
the United Nations continue to send its
unarmed military and civilian staff to war
zones without ensuring that they will be
spared and respected by both parties
involved in the conflict. When is the Security
Council of the United Nations going to
respond to the Secretary-General’s repeated
request to arm United Nations Military
Observers to defend themselves? Will there
ever be an investigation as to who is responsible
for all the lives the UN staff lost and properties
damaged in areas where there is not
even some hope for peace. Years have gone by
and more to come without international
peace and security.
Just two weeks ago in Southern Lebanon,
four UN Military observers from UNFIL were
killed, 4 members of the Mission’s Ghanaian battalions were lightly injured. Attack on the
High Representative for election in Côte
d’Ivoire, attacks on African Unions personnel
in Darfur, the abduction of Nepalese peacekeepers
serving with the United Nations
Organizations Mission in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (MONUC) were recent.
The Nepalese Peacekeepers were lucky to be
released a week later. In January 2006, the
Chief United Nations Peacekeepers in Haiti
shot and killed on the balcony of his hotel.
Nine UN Peacekeepers were ambushed in
the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in
2005. It is alarming, frustrating and should not
be allowed to go on.
Currently the UN has 13 peacekeeping
operations world wide and are listed below.
The list might not be exhaustive but gives an
indication of where the killing fields are since
a long period of time.
- United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNBO). Middle East, since 1948. Function: Monitors the various ceasefires in the region.
- United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). Function: Observe the conflict between India and Pakistan over the disputed area of Kashmir since 1949.
- United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), in operation since 1964. Function: observe peace in the conflict between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
- United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNFOF). Golan Heights since 1974. Function: Observe agreed withdrawal by Syrian and Israeli forces.
- United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNFIL), since 1978. Function: Confirms the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon.
- United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), Western Sahara since 1991. Function: Monitor the cease-fire signed in 1992 and conduct referendum.
- United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), since 1993. Function: Monitor the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict.
- United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), since 1999. Function: Observe the conflict and civil wars involving Serbia and Yugoslavia, Albania and Yugoslavia with North Atlantic Treaty Organizations (NATO).
- United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), since 1999. Function: Monitor the peace process after the second civil conflict.
- United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), since 2000. Function: Observe the ceasefire in the border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
- United Nations Operation in Cote d’Ivoir (UNOCI), since 2004. Function: Facilitate the implementation of the peace agreement signed by the different parties in 2003.
- United Nations Operations in Burundi (UNOB), since 2004. Function: Ensure the continuation of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement singed in 2000.
- United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), since 2005. Function: support the comprehensive Peace Agreement singed in January 2005 by the government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.
The UN has successfully completed 46 missions
since the beginning of its peacekeeping
operations. These includes 16 in Africa, 8 in
the Americas, 9 in Asia, 7 in Europe and 6 in
the Middle East.
Peacekeeping cost was $2.6 billion at the
end of 2004 and has doubled to about $5.04 billion
by the end of 2006. In the last 56 years or
so it is estimated that up to one million soldiers,
police officers and civilians have
served under the UN flag. Although costs are
borne by major donor countries, the greatest
troop contributors are devel oping countries
which includes: Bangladesh, Pakistan, India,
Jordan, Nepal, Ethiopia, Uruguay, Ghana,
Nigeria and in that order.
The United Nations and its Member States,
should assume the responsibility of safeguarding
the lives of unarmed UN military
observers serving in conflict areas. Without a
written agreement and a clear understanding
between the UN and Member States involved
in conflicts, it is impossible to hold anyone
accountable for the lives of UN observers.
The author is UN Special correspondent in Africa.
Source: UN website, press releases, Google website.
© 2006 UN Special |