U.N. study finds peacekeepers avoid using force to protect civilians

Reuters ^ | May 16, 2014 3:30pm EDT | Michelle Nichols

[blueplum]

(Reuters) - United Nations peacekeeping missions routinely avoid using force to protect civilians who are under attack, intervening in only 20 percent of cases despite being authorized to do so by the U.N. Security Council, an internal U.N. study found. "There is a persistent pattern of peacekeeping operations not intervening with force when civilians are under attack," the report by the Office of Internal Oversight Services said.

"Peacekeepers are absent from many locations when civilians come under attack, and when they are present, are unable or unwilling to prevent serious physical harm from being inflicted," the 26-page report said.

:snip:

The top 10 contributors to the U.N.'s almost $8 billion a year peacekeeping budget are the United States, which contributes 28 percent of the budget, Japan, France, Germany, United Kingdom, China, Italy, Russia, Canada and Spain.

:snip:

The biggest troop contributors are India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Rwanda.

"The reality is that the United Nations cannot fully protect civilians while the troop contributing countries do not instruct their contingents to do all they can, including using force as a last resort when civilians are under attack before them," U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services, Carman Lapointe, told the Fifth Committee on Tuesday.

[blueplum]

it doesn't seem to me that we're getting much value for our money

[Olog-hai]

I hate when “avoid” is used as a synonym for “evade”. If harm to civilians were averted using means other than force, then and only then is force “avoided”; but if the blue-helmets instead fail or refuse to act, then they evaded their duty.

[Jeff Chandler]

They’re not worried about losing civilians. They can always find more rape targets.

[Corporate Democrat]

Well, what did you really expect with Blue Helmets? They are the ultimate result of what enforced diversity and political correctness does to a military force. You might as well hire a bunch of security guards instead and send them off. It will probably be cheaper too.

Last year, I remember how peacekeepers in Syria got captured by Syrian rebels, released, and then almost immediately captured again just to keep Assad off their back. The rebels said it was for the “peacekeepers own protection”.

[R. Scott]

Peacekeeping where there is no peace to keep.

[DaveA37]

The U.N. Blue Helmets are a joke. They are RESTRICTED from any aggressive actions when/where ever there are sent. Kind of similar to what odumbo has done to our military.

[Organic Panic]

The UN did a great job keeping the peace in Rwanda.

[R. Scott]

Yes, of course. Only a show of force is needed. /sarcasm