US ambassador to the UN Madeleine Albright (L), UN secretary general Boutros Boutros-Ghali (R) after a meeting with US President Clinton in 1994 to discuss the situation in Rwanda.
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Many believe that the international community could have acted earlier, to prevent the genocide before it started.
South Sudan delegates sign a peace deal to end civil war in 2018.
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A major hurdle in South Sudan is the presence of detractors who could undermine the successful implementation of peace agreements.
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The new $100 million Blackrock peacekeeping training facility in Fiji has high ambitions, but will need Australia’s ongoing support to succeed.
Rwandan soldiers on patrol in northern Mozambique in 2021.
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Rwandan forces have been able to keep civilian casualties low in Cabo Delgado despite carrying out a counterterrorism operation.
Residents of Bambo in North Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, flee after M23 attacks in October 2023.
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The international effort to address three decades of violence in eastern DRC has drawn in the UN, east African troops and now a southern African force.
Palestinians on the outskirts of Gaza City walk by buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardment on Oct. 20, 2023.
AP Photo/Ali Mahmoud
The politics of delivering aid in war zones are messy, the ethics fraught and the logistics daunting. But getting everything right is essential − and in this instance could save many Gazans’ lives.
President Cyril Ramaphosa explained South Africa’s foreign policy ahead of hosting the 15th Brics summit.
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It would help African countries to have a common position on the Ukraine war. This should be based on its impact on food and energy security in the continent.
Soldiers on patrol in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in November 2022.
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A comprehensive strategy does not seem to be an immediate priority for Congolese authorities with an eye on elections.
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An agreement to end conflict is only one small step in an often long process.
Troops drive through Goma in eastern DRC in November 2022.
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Consolidating peace efforts across the vast territory has proved difficult for close to three decades. Scholars explain why.
Delegates at the African Union Summit held in Malabo, Capital of Equatorial Guinea, on 27 May 2022 to address worsening humanitarian crises in Africa.
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The AU’s first two decades have largely represented a magical, mystical world of unfulfilled expectations.
A Congolese soldier in Goma during protests against the UN peacekeeping mission in July 2022.
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Protests are likely to continue over the coming months, particularly in the run-up to the Congo presidential elections next year.
Female police officers working with the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Liberia participate in a parade in 2008.
UN Photo/Christopher Herwig
The UN has been working for 20 years to increase the number of female peacekeepers – but countries that give their troops to the UN are reluctant to put more women in active combat.
Muhoozi Kainerugaba, commander of Uganda’s land forces and President Yoweri Museveni’s son.
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The plan to replace Museveni with his son has dramatically shifted from rumour to reality in recent months.
Troops under the United Nations Mission in South Sudan on patrol in Juba.
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The UN voted to extend its presence in South Sudan for another year. However, its success in the country faces many challenges.
Chadian soldiers benefited from foreign aids and training.
International support for Déby and the dependence on Chad’s peacekeeping troops had a downside: it came at the expense of democracy and respect for human rights.
Evacuees from Ukraine stand under a destroyed bridge as they flee the city of Irpin on March 7, 2022.
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Tens of thousands of Ukrainians are using humanitarian corridors to leave the country. But these routes are often announced for political reasons and do not always offer safety
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WHO’s safeguarding failure in the DRC has re-focused attention on the sexual misconduct that surfaces with disgraceful regularity in humanitarian, development, and peacekeeping operations worldwide.
South African Defence Force troops on patrol in Alexandra, Johannesburg, following recent violence and looting.
EFE-EPA/Kim Ludbrook
The army may help create a more stable and secure environment in the short term, but this is unlikely to result in sustainable and lasting peace.
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Hammarskjöld lasting legacy was to develop the secretary-general’s political role, as the UN found its way through the Cold War.