The Evolution of UN Peacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of Congo: From ONUC To MONUSCO

The prevalence of peacekeeping and peacebuilding in the international relations discourse cannot be overstated. Peacekeeping has proven to be an integral part of United Nations machinery, and the related missions embarked upon by the organisation have led to tremendous strides in the promotion of international peace and security. This research focuses on the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Primarily, this research will analyse the evolution of UN peacekeeping, from ONUC to MONUSCO, and will identify various reasons for this evolution. The challenges faced by both the UN and the Democratic Republic of Congo relating to peacekeeping and peacebuilding will be discussed in order to develop an understanding of the peacekeeping dilemma in modern day Congo DRC. Through the utilization of primary sources, secondary data and democratic peace theory, this study makes use of comparative analysis that analyses events of conflict, the peacekeeping missions relating to this conflict and the changes in the mandates that guided them. The United Nations involvement in Congo DRC as it relates to peacekeeping is well documented, and the organisation's commitment to the mission of peace is clear. However, for various reasons, the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to struggle to achieve sustainable peace. All in all, this research succeeds in providing an insight to the aforementioned and it highlights conditions that may result in alternate positive outcomes.