By Mia Jeronimus
Yesterday marked the annual commemoration of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, honouring those who have served and continue to serve in UN peacekeeping missions. But for some former UN peacekeepers, it was a time to reflect on the shortcomings of these missions.
Chris Wilkinson, who served as a UN Peacekeeper in the British Army in 2011, acknowledged the crucial role of peacekeeping in helping to protect civilians, elections and stability, but criticised the UN’s approach as “fairly toothless”.
Recalling his time patrolling the buffer zone east of Nicosia in Cyprus during Operation Tosca, Wilkinson said: “We had no powers to detain when we were out there. If there was any criminal activity, we had to call [UN police], who in turn called [civilian police]. People would just leave [by the time they turned up] so we never bothered.”
Similarly, Jonathan Cosgrove, who was stationed in Liberia in 2005 with Irish forces, supports the concept of peacekeeping but is critical of its implementation. He cited corruption within the peacekeeping forces as a major issue during his tenure.
“The first thing at play was Charles Taylor; to get him out of the country and in front of a criminal court,” he said, but added that certain peacekeepers “were essentially sheltering him.” Cosgrove also said there were issues with how some peacekeepers behaved towards locals which had to be reported back to UN headquarters.
Cosgrove called for peacekeeping forces to be granted more authority. Reflecting on his colleagues’ experiences in the Middle East, he said: “A lot of my Irish colleagues [in South Lebanon felt that] they were basically shooting targets for the IDF… [It was] risk without a meaningful outcome for the local population.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said yesterday: “Day in and day out, at great personal risk, these women and men bravely work in some of the most dangerous and unstable places on earth. In order for our peacekeepers to respond to the challenges of today and tomorrow, they need the world’s support.”
More than 4,500 peacekeepers have lost their lives since the beginning of the UN’s Peacekeeping mission in 1948.
Feature Image: Mongolian Armed Forces service members evacuate a notional casualty during a care-under-fire training scenario for Khaan Quest 2019 at Five Hills Training Area, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Defense Current Photos.