U.N. Peacekeeping Operations in Africa (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Sept. 23, 2019 |
| Report Number |
R45930 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Luisa Blanchfield, Alexis Arieff, Lauren Ploch Blanchard |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
Many Members of Congress have demonstrated an interest in the mandates, effectiveness, and funding status of United Nations (U.N.) peacekeeping operations in Africa as an integral component of U.S. policy toward Africa and a key tool for fostering greater stability and security on the continent. As of September 2019, there are seven U.N. peacekeeping operations in Africa:
the U.N. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA);
the U.N. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA);
the U.N. Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA);
the U.N. Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS);
the U.N. Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO);
the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID); and
the U.N. Mission for the Organization of a Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
The United States, as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, plays a key role in establishing, renewing, and funding U.N. peacekeeping operations, including those in Africa. For 2019, the U.N. General Assembly assessed the U.S. share of U.N. peacekeeping operation budgets at 27.89%; since the mid-1990s Congress has capped the U.S. payment at 25% due to concerns that the current assessment is too high. During the Trump Administration, the United States generally has voted in the Security Council for the renewal and funding of existing U.N. peacekeeping operations, including those in Africa. At the same time, the Administration has been critical of U.N. peacekeeping activitiesâboth overall and in Africa specificallyâand called for a review of operations to ensure that they are "fit for purpose" and to improve their efficiency and effectiveness.
Over the years, Congress has considered a range of overarching policy issues and debates regarding U.N. peacekeeping operations in Africa, including
how effectively such operations fulfill their mandates, particularly related to civilian protection and peacekeeping;
under what circumstances a U.N. peacekeeping mission might be an effective tool for addressing or preventing mass atrocities in Africa;
to what extent and in what ways can U.N. peacekeeping operations effectively work with abusive or neglectful host governments and state security forces in Africa;
how to prevent and address sexual exploitation and abuse by U.N. peacekeepers, particularly in operations in Africa; and
the role of Africa-led (as opposed to U.N.-conducted) operations as a response to regional crises.
This report focuses on U.N. peacekeeping missions in Africa; it does not address broader policy issues related to U.N. peacekeeping, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), or the U.N. Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS). For more information on U.N. peacekeeping and U.S. funding, see CRS In Focus IF10597, United Nations Issues: U.S. Funding of U.N. Peacekeeping. For further analysis on the political and security context for the above operations, see CRS In Focus IF11171, Crisis in the Central African Republic; CRS In Focus IF10116, Conflict in Mali; CRS In Focus IF10218, South Sudan; CRS Report R45794, Sudan's Uncertain Transition; CRS Report R43166, Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and U.S. Relations; and CRS Report RS20962, Western Sahara.
