Peacekeeping acronyms

UNTSO

o   United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation

o   Israel/Gaza

o   Supervising implementation of the Israel/Palestine armistice

o   Still there
Evolution of peacekeeping

o   Lots during the cold war

o   Unipolar moment – piece keeping seen as the solution to all conflicts and building democracies in places that didn’t have them

o   Turned out to be a bit of a dream

o   Things went horribly wrong in 90s

o   Bosnia/Rwanda, genocides under watch of UN

o   Lot of reform during 21^st century

UNMOGIP (Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan

o   ISR, field trips, observation alongside the border

o   Investigate and make reports of activities

-              UNDOF (Disengagement Observer Force)

o   Israel/Syria border

o   74 became increasingly unstable, UNDOF went in

o   Remained in area to maintain ceasefire and supervise the agreement

o   Golan Heights, hilly strip of land

o   Area of separations

o   UNDOF supposed to inspect and monitor border to ensure limitations in armament

o   Area has become unstable recently

o   Israel has taken additional territory

o   New Syria Regime quite weak

o   Dynamic situation

-              UNFICYP

o   Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus

o   Force monitoring internal conflict between demographics in Cyprus

-              UNMIK

United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo

o   NATO intervention into Kosovo

o   End of that  UNMIK being set up to deal with follow-on situation

o   Now a small mission

o   Region continually unstable and stopping full withdrawal

-              MINURSO

The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara

o   Been there since early 90s

o   Western Sahara, Morocco/Mauritania/Algeria

o   Both wanted territory as well as the French?

o   80s  Sent in to facilitate democratic voting processes

o   Referendum never took place (choosing which territory to join)

-              MINUSCA

o   Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic

o   Response to humanitarian/security crisis

o   Deployed in 2014

o   To protect civilians

o   Won’t find this on UN website

o   Deployed to prevent genocide

o   Senior official will tell you without intervention there would be a genocide

-              MONUSCO

• MONUSCO = United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

• Established in 2010 to support stability and protect civilians

• One of the largest UN peacekeeping operations in the world

• Protects civilians from armed groups and violence

• Supports the DRC government in maintaining security

• Includes the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB), which can conduct offensive operations against rebel groups

• Operates mainly in the conflict-affected eastern DRC

• Faces challenges from ongoing rebel activity, difficult terrain, and political tensions

• Often used as a case study of modern robust peacekeeping

• Currently undergoing a gradual withdrawal from the DRC

-              UNISFA

(United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei)

• Established in 2011

• Operates in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan

• Created to prevent conflict following the independence of South Sudan

• Monitors and verifies the demilitarisation of the Abyei area

• Protects civilians and facilitates humanitarian assistance

• Supports border security and conflict prevention

• Primarily composed of Ethiopian peacekeepers

• Helps reduce tensions between Sudan and South Sudan

• Considered a relatively successful example of conflict prevention and peacekeeping

• Remains in place because the final status of Abyei is still unresolved

-              UNMISS

o   Mission in the Republic of South Sudan

o   Became independent in 2011

o   Meant to help the country build its governance, establish elections etc.

o   Massive crisis in 2013, mandated as protection of civilians

o   Probably prevented a genocide

o   High-risk area

o   18k peacekeepers