Topic > Evaluation of the United Nations Operation in Congo

After the United Nations Operation in Congo (ONUC), created in 1960 to restore peace and stability after Congo's independence (Zabeki, 2017), the United Nations intervened again establishing the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) in November 1999 with resolution 1291. It was composed of 5,537 staff and up to 500 observers. MONUC's main objectives included monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, investigating violations of the agreement, working with parties on the release of war criminals, and providing humanitarian assistance. It is worth mentioning that the mandates mentioned are rather considered traditional peace operations in which the UN acted only as observers rather than interveners. In 2003, MONUC, with its limited scope and duration, failed to prevent ethnic violence in Ituri province; therefore, the peace operation is considered a failure because the fighting was not stopped. However, MONUC's mandate strengthened in 2004. The Security Council authorized a staff increase of 5,900 while the Secretary General requested 13,000 personnel. The overall mandates included the protection of human rights, in particular of women and children, disarmament, demobilization, protection and freedom of UN personnel, facilities and equipment, and presence in key areas to prevent violence . Even with the promised and improved mandates, the United Nations, once again, did not fulfill its tasks. UN staff ended up being targeted by rebels, and worse, UN staff themselves were reported for sexual misconduct. Furthermore, the humanitarian crises have not been resolved, and have actually worsened. Ethnic cleansing, rape and violence were committed by both militias and the Congolese government. However, despite the failures, the 2006 presidential elections can be considered free and fair with the help of the EU (Karns & Mingst, 2010, p. 339-340). In 2008, the mandate was extended to facilitate local elections with resolution 1797. Furthermore, with resolution 1856, MONUC's deployment was extended until December 2009 and included 19,815 personnel, 760 military observers, 391 members of police personnel and 1,050 trained personnel. personal police unit. Undoubtedly, the UN encouraged collaboration with the government, particularly in the eastern part of the country, with the priority of protecting civilian lives, but given that fighting was ongoing at the time, MONUC can hardly be considered a successful peace operation (The United Nations, 2018a). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Furthermore, in July the United Nations decided to rename MONUC to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) 1, 2010 by resolution 1925 of May 28. So far the mandate has been extended three times with resolution 2098 of 28 March 2013, resolution 2147 of 28 March 2014 and resolution 2348 of 31 March 2017. On 28 March 2013, the UN created a specialized “intervention brigade” which lasted a year. in response to instability in the Great Lakes region. It has the responsibility to counter armed groups that pose a threat to states and civilians in the eastern regions. On the basis of resolution 2147, the UN decided to extend the deployment of MONUSCO until 31 March 2015 and has 16.215, 2016).