INTRODUCTION I.

Background of the Study The United Nations was founded during 1945 when the League of Nations failed to prevent the Second World War. Though the League of Nations failed to prevent World War II, the United Nations close resemblance to the League was proof to the fact that people still believed in the idea of an umbrella international organization that would oversee world peace and international cooperation.1 With its intention of maintaining peace and stability in the international community, the UN devised ways to accomplish its purpose stated in the Charter. The United Nations, in pursuance to its purpose which is to oversee world peace, has established the United Nations peacekeeping force that is composed of troops from each member states. Under the auspices of The Charter, the Security Council was given the power to establish subsidiary organs if it was deemed necessary for the performance of its function.2 In addition to that, Article 39 of Chapter 7 states that The Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be taken in accordance with Articles 41 and 42, to maintain or restore international peace and security.3

Peacekeeping at a Glance
1

Ramesh Thakur, From Peacekeeping to Peace Enforcement: the UN Operation in Somalia. The Journal of Modern African Studies;(1994) 2 The Charter Available from http://un.org/en/documents/charter/chapter5.shtml; Internet; accessed 23 May 2011. 3 The Charter Available from http://un.org/en/documents/charter/chapter7.shtml; Internet; accessed 23 May 2011.

The United Nations Peacekeeping began in 1948 when the Security Council approved the deployment of UN military observers to the Middle East. Since then, the UN launched several other peacekeeping missions such as UNAMIR and UNOSOM. Peacekeeping then was limited to maintaining ceasefires and stabilizing situations on the ground, providing essential support for political efforts to resolve conflict through peaceful means. The missions consisted of unarmed military observers and lightly armed troops with roles such as monitoring, reporting and confidence-building.4 The end of the Cold War marked the dramatic changes in the strategic context for UN Peacekeeping. The UN shifted and expanded its field operations from traditional to multidimensional; traditional meaning that the missions were primarily observational tasks done by military personnel and multidimensional meaning ensuring the implementation of peace agreements and assisting in laying down the foundations for sustainable peace. Over the years, the nature of conflict has changed. The UN Peacekeeping was increasingly being used as a means to pacify intra-state conflict and civil wars while originally it was developed as an instrument for dealing with inter-state conflict. UN Peacekeepers were now mandated to undertake a variety of complex tasks, from helping to build sustainable institutions of governance, to monitoring human rights, to security sector reform, to the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants. Even though the military remained the backbone of most peacekeeping operations, there were now many professionals that contribute to peacekeeping including administrators, economists, police officers, legal experts, de-miners, electoral observers,

The Early Years Available from http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/operations/early.shtml; Internet; accessed 23 May 2011.

human right monitors, civil affairs and governance specialists, humanitarian workers and communications and public information experts.5 RWANDA On October 5, 1993, Resolution 872 (1993), drafted by the Security Council, established UNAMIR to help implement the Arusha Peace Agreement signed by the conflicting Rwandese parties on August 4, 1993. Its mandate was to assist in ensuring the security of Kigali (the Rwandese capital) monitor the ceasefire agreement which includes the establishment of an expanded demilitarized zone and demobilization procedures. UNAMIR troops are also supposed to monitor the security situation during the final period of the transitional Governments mandate up to the national elections, assist in the clearing of land mines and to assist in humanitarian assistance such as relief operations. After the establishment of Resolution 872, there were other several resolutions On April 21, 1994, Resolution 912 (1994) adjusted the mandate of UNAMIR after the fighting resumed. It was formulated so that it could act as a liaison between the warring parties in an attempt to secure a ceasefire, to assist in resuming the humanitarian relief operations to the feasible extent and to oversee the developments in Rwanda including the safety and security of those who sought refuge with UNAMIR. Resolution 918 (1994) drafted by the Security Council on the 17th of May 1994 broadened further the mandate of UNAMIR because the situation in Rwanda worsened. The expanded mandate enabled UNAMIR to contribute to the security and protection of the refugees by means of establishing and maintaining secure humanitarian areas and providing security for relief operations for the furtherance of the mission. The Security

Post Cold War Surge Available from http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/operations/surge.shtml; Internet; accessed 23 May 2011.

Council further developed the tasks of UNAMIR following the ceasefire and the inauguration of the new Government to ensure the stability and security in Rwanda to encourage the return of the displaced citizens, to provide security and support for humanitarian aid and to promote national reconciliation in Rwanda. On November 30, 1994 by Resolution 965 (1994), UNAMIR was asked to contribute to the security in Rwanda of the personnel of the International Tribunal for Rwanda and of the human rights officers, and to assist in the establishment and training of a new, integrated, national police force. On June 9, 1995 Resolution 997 (1995) of the Security Council decided to adjust further the mandate of UNAMIR so that it would help achieve national reconciliation, assist the Government of Rwanda in facilitating the voluntary and the safe return of Rwandas refugee and the reintegration of those refugees in their home communities. UNAMIR was also expected to support the Rwandese Government in its ongoing efforts to promote an ambiance of confidence and trust through the performance of monitoring tasks throughout the country with military and police observers. In addition to that, UNAMIR troops were expected to support the provision of humanitarian aid and to assist the engineering, logistics, medical care and the removal of land mines. UNAMIR troops were also expected to assist national police force trainees and to contribute to the security in Rwanda of personnel and premises of United Nations agencies, of the International Tribunal for Rwanda including the protection for the Prosecutors Office and also of the human rights officers. The last resolution of the Security Council, Resolution 1029 (1995) on December 12, 1995 further adjusted the mandate of UNAMIR to focus primarily on facilitating the

safe and voluntary return of refugees and as an interim measure, contributing with the agreement of the Government of Rwanda, to the protection of the International Tribunal for Rwanda and on March 8, 1996, the mandate of the UNAMIR officially ended and the withdrawal of the Missions was completed in April 1996.6 SOMALIA The downfall of the Somali President Siad Barre in 1991 led to a civil war between the faction supporting Interim President Ali Mahdi Mohammed and that of supporting General Mohamed Aidid. Several organizations such as the U.N. and the Organization of African Unity sought to resolve the conflict. In 1991, the SecretaryGeneral dispatched an envoy which all the faction leaders expressed their support for a United Nations peace role. The United Nations also became engaged in providing humanitarian aid with the help of relief organizations. The war brought about nearly 1 million refugees and almost 5 million people threatened by starvation and disease. In 1992, the Security Council imposed an arms embargo against Somalia and the SecretaryGeneral organized talks between the parties who have agreed on a ceasefire that it would be monitored by the United Nations observers and on the protection of humanitarian convoys by the United Nations security personnel. The United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM I) was established by the Council in April. However, due to the continued fighting and insecurity, the relief effort was hindered and in August, the Security Council decided to deploy about 3,000 additional troops to protect humanitarian aid. But the situation continued to worsen, with aid workers under attack as famine threatened 1.5 million people. In November 1992, the United Stated offered to organize

UNAMIR Available from http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/past/unamirbackgr1.html; Internet; accessed 23 May 2011.

and lead an operation to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The Security Council accepted the offer and authorized the use of all necessary means to establish a secure environment for the relief effort. The Unified Task Force (UNITAF), which was led by the United States, was made up of contingents from 24 countries, quickly secured all major relief centers and by the end of that year, humanitarian aid was flowing again. UNOSOM still has the responsibility of protecting the delivery of assistance and for political efforts to end the war. At a reconciliation conference organized by the Secretary General and his Special Representative for Somalia, the leaders of 15 political movements endorsed an accord on disarmament, reconstruction and the formation of a transitional government.7 In March, the Security Council decided on a transition from UNITAF to a new United Nations peacekeeping (UNOSOM II) authorizing it to use force if necessary to ensure its mandate which was to secure a stable environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. UNOSOM II was also mandated to assist in the reconstruction of economic, social and political life. While UNITAF had patrolled less than half of the country with 37,000 well-equipped troops, the 22,000 United Nations peacekeepers were given the mandate to cover all of Somalia. The death of 18 United States soldiers of the Quick Reaction Force (a force deployed in support but not part of UNOSOM) in October made the U.S. withdrew its force by early 1994 followed by Belgium, France and Sweden. With faction leaders still not complying with the 1993 and 1994 agreements, the Security Council extended UNOSOM for a final period but there was no further progress was made, UNOSOM withdrew in March 1995. During the three year effort (UNOSOM I and II), 157 United Nations peacekeeping personnel had died.

UNOSOM I Available from http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/past/unosom1backgr1.html; Internet; accessed 23 May 2011.

But the United Nations had brought relief to millions that were facing starvation, helped stopped the large-scale killings, assisted in the return of refugees and provided massive humanitarian aid. Even under difficult conditions, United Nations agencies have continued their humanitarian work.8 Statement of the Problem Should the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations still exist? Corollary Questions 1) What made the UNOSOM fail? 2) What made the UNAMIR more successful than UNOSOM? 3) Objectives of the Study The objectives of this study are as follows: 1. To determine what made the UNOSOM operation fail so miserably 2. To recommend possible reforms for future peace operations Significance of the Study This study aims to provide more explanations as to how extensive the failures in UN peacekeeping were with regard to UNAMIR and to UNOSOM I and II and to provide resolutions in future cases of intra-state conflict. It is also important to explain the state of anarchy in Somalia from 1991-

UNOSOM II Available from http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/past/unosom2backgr1.html; Internet; accessed 23 May 2011.

II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE The conducted research

IV. METHODOLOGY Research Design The conducted study will be based on a qualitative research that will attempt to gather existing data regarding the researchers claim. To achieve this, the examiners opted for a qualitative and comparative analysis that was used to derive the studys conclusions. Comparative analysis and data gathered from different scholarly materials was used in this study to help the researchers analyze the shortcomings of the United Nations peacekeeping operations thus enabling the researchers to come up with a more sound reform for future reference. Data Gathering The actual research was conducted at the beginning of this trimester, May 23, 2011 and was completed by August of the same year. Quantitative and qualitative figures were gathered throughout the investigation. Fact sheets, tables and other statistical information were applied for the analysis of casualties, the involved parties etc. in the study. A variety of books and scholarly journals related to the field of peacekeeping was consulted for data gathering. The UN website was also proven to be a vital source of information regarding to this topic. Data Analysis The purpose of the studys design is to find out what were the shortcomings of peace operation in both Rwanda and Somalia. After the data gathering, the researches analyzed the information and compared it with other previous sources used in the study and from it, the researchers arrived at a conclusion.

CHAPTER TWO: United Nations Peacekeeping Operations Background After the end of Cold War,