What are the Obstacles Facing Peacekeeping Missions?

Recently, UN peacekeeping missions have encountered numerous challenges and crises that have affected the level of international and regional trust in their ability to achieve their objectives. As a result, some countries have called for the closure of these missions and accused them of failing to restore security and stability.

Indicators of Decline:

There is a set of indicators demonstrating the decline of international and regional peacekeeping missions in various areas over recent years, including:

1. Reduction in Personnel: The number of peacekeepers deployed amid unprecedented levels of conflict and violence has been nearly halved, from 121,000 in 2016 to approximately 71,000 in 2024.
2. Increase in Closure of Peacekeeping Missions: This can be highlighted as follows: a. Many UN peace operations have either closed or begun to withdraw. The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali completed its withdrawal by the end of 2023 after the council terminated its mandate on June 30, 2023. Similarly, the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan withdrew following the council ending its mandate on December 1, 2023. b. The UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) is implementing a disengagement plan agreed upon with the Congolese government and approved by the Security Council through resolution 2717 dated December 19, 2023. MONUSCO completed its withdrawal from South Kivu province in June as part of the first phase of the withdrawal process. c. Overall, UN peacekeeping missions in Africa have steadily declined in number and capacity (in terms of budgets and personnel deployed) since 2016, with only four operations remaining on the continent (in the Central African Republic, South Sudan, the disputed Abyei Area between Sudan and South Sudan, and Western Sahara). d. Iraq has requested the withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping mission. In response, the Security Council adopted resolution 2732 on May 31, 2024, renewing the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for a final 19-month period until December 31, 2025.

Challenges and Obstacles:

UN missions face numerous challenges and obstacles that will impact their future and alter their various trajectories. These major challenges include:

1. Failure to Achieve Peace Objectives: Many countries have accused UN or African Union missions of failing to secure stability and peace. Some have attributed the rise in political violence within their borders to this failure, with others accusing these missions of supporting rebels. In September 2023, Mali’s Foreign Minister, Abdullah Diop, during his attendance at the UN General Assembly in New York, stated that the UN mission was no longer able to assist Mali in reasserting control over its territory, emphasizing that conditions have deteriorated in its presence. Consequently, UN missions have become a political target for some governments to blame for the continuation and worsening of conflicts.
2. Security and Military Challenges: UN missions have become easy targets for conflict parties due to their limited arming, personnel numbers, and weak staff security capabilities. For instance, UN missions have faced repeated attacks from terrorist groups, and in Somalia, African Union forces are an easy target for Al-Shabaab attacks. Likewise, the risks of violence against peacekeeping missions have increased during wars. The Israeli war in Lebanon illustrated the heightened dangers facing peacekeeping forces during such conflicts, where Israel specifically targeted peacekeeping camps and observation towers in southern Lebanon, exposing the lack of international and regional accountability for attacks on these missions. This may prompt many parties to reassess their policies regarding these operations.
3. Increase in Conflicts and Crises: The rise in the number of simultaneous conflicts and their military and security complexities, coupled with ideological shifts regarding such conflicts, as well as political transformations stemming from a loss of trust in the international community (particularly in UN bodies like the Security Council), due to major powers dominating its decisions, escalates the pressures and political challenges facing international peacekeeping operations in various regions. This is particularly spotlighted by the limited human, financial, and military resources available for these missions.
4. Reduction in Financial Allocations: UN peacekeeping missions are experiencing cash flow issues and financial pressures due to delays in the payment of assessed contributions. This is a common issue for UN peacekeeping operations; funding has been an ongoing challenge for the Secretary-General since their inception, marked by periods of calm followed by crises. The UN has particularly been vulnerable to withholding payments from its largest financial contributors. Since 2016, the United States has begun to withhold parts of its contribution, resulting in accumulating arrears, thereby pressuring UN peacekeeping operations. Recently, the UN budget for peacekeeping operations was reduced from 6.1billiontofundnineactivemissionsin2023to6.1billiontofundnineactivemissionsin2023to5.59 billion to finance 14 peacekeeping operations, service centers, and headquarters support staff. The issue of UN funding is often politically leveraged to influence UN decisions, as demonstrated by the stance of the European Union and the United States—who are the largest funders of African Union forces in Somalia—when they sought to reduce the number of African Union peacekeepers due to concerns regarding funding and long-term sustainability, amid their reservations about certain aspects of forming a new mission in Somalia at the end of last year.
5. Political Dynamics: Peacekeeping missions face significant dilemmas stemming from local political dynamics, influenced by the agendas of ruling political regimes, as seen in Mali after the military took power. They may also be affected by regional tensions, as with the formation of a new UN mission in Somalia, which experienced severe conflicts between Somalia, Ethiopia, and others that nearly jeopardized the mission’s future. Additionally, these missions can be influenced by political tensions between major powers and developing countries, as occurred in Mali, where tensions between France and the Malian government and Russia ultimately led to the closure of the mission. Lastly, these missions may be affected by the interests of funding powers if their interests conflict with those of ruling elites in host countries.

Negative Impacts:

UN and regional peacekeeping missions have played various essential security and humanitarian roles in numerous countries and have succeeded in maintaining security and achieving sustainable peace in many conflicts. However, they have also encountered failures in some cases, not necessarily due to shortcomings in techniques or the roles of those missions but primarily due to the complex nature of conflicts and the frequent intersection of key conflict parties’ interests.

In this context, it can be noted that the closure of peace missions in some countries has not resolved security and peace issues. In Mali, the conflict remains intense and bloody, and this closure has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the country, raising the costs of violence for the state and society and leading to increased political violence. It has opened opportunities for armed and terrorist groups to enhance their capabilities against the state and society, affecting the cost of counter-terrorism efforts for the country due to its reliance on Russian “Wagner” elements and forces.

Thus, the impact of the closure and decline of peacekeeping missions can be summarized as: the continuation and escalation of conflicts, the resurgence of dormant border disputes, rising rates of political violence and terrorism in many conflict-affected countries, increasing rates and indicators of transnational organized crime, and a weakened capacity of the state to achieve sustainable societal peace.

Potential Alternatives:

Exploring alternatives to traditional peacekeeping missions is crucial for addressing the complexities of modern international conflicts. Traditional peacekeeping operations, often characterized by military presence and ceasefire monitoring, have faced criticism for their limitations in effectively resolving conflicts, especially those rooted in identity politics and tensions within states. Consequently, alternative approaches are being developed, including:

1. UN and Regional Partnerships: This approach involves the UN supporting and funding regional missions. The UN has expanded its support for African Union peacekeeping missions on the continent; the Security Council adopted resolution 2719, granting permission for the African Union to deploy regional peacekeeping forces accompanied by a defined timeframe and exit strategy. In this regard, the Security Council also adopted resolution 2746, which authorizes the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to provide operational and logistical support to the Southern African Development Community’s mission in the DRC, which has operated in eastern DRC since December 2023. Furthermore, in 2023, the Security Council established a mechanism allowing the UN to finance the deployment of any African force in Somalia by up to 75%.
2. Formation of Regional Peacekeeping Forces/Temporary Coalitions: This involves forming dedicated coalitions from countries that share common security threats, such as the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region. However, the informal nature of such initiatives raises questions about their long-term sustainability regarding resources, commitment, and operational planning. Additionally, the legitimacy, transparency, and accountability of these coalitions pose significant concerns.
3. Relying on Security Companies: Private security companies have played a notable role in several contemporary conflicts, and there is a growing trend toward employing such companies for various security and military tasks as an alternative to traditional armies. Thus, security companies may emerge as an alternative to peacekeeping forces, potentially overcoming issues related to funding and the performance constraints of current peacekeepers. However, this approach raises concerns about the privatization of peacekeeping operations and its implications for state sovereignty.
4. Integration of Artificial Intelligence Technologies: Technological advancements increase the availability of multiple alternatives in conflicts and disputes. Thus, this development, particularly concerning artificial intelligence and robotics, could serve as a technical alternative to peacekeeping missions in the near future or be integrated into future UN and regional missions.

In conclusion, it can be said that UN and regional peacekeeping missions play indispensable roles in maintaining security and ensuring stability. The challenges faced by these missions are the result of local, regional, and international political dynamics, which may impact their operations and lead to funding reductions that could eventually result in the closure of these missions. This threatens to intensify conflicts and exacerbate humanitarian crises in areas of armed conflict while requiring further efforts to improve the conditions of peacekeeping missions.