This post is part of AIDS-Free World’s ongoing blog, which features opinions and analysis from staff members.
By Emma Schwartz
@emma_schwartz2
The Code Blue Campaign has been calling for the UN to remove Burundian soldiers serving in the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR). We argue that the alleged crimes against humanity, including rape, committed with impunity by Burundian forces within Burundi—as affirmed by the International Criminal Court and the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi—endanger women and children in CAR, who are counting on the Burundians for protection not predation.
A new study adds ballast to our case.
Published in International Studies Quarterly in August 2019, “The Relationship between Contributors’ Domestic Abuses and Peacekeeper Misconduct in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations” argues that systemic abuse on the part of troop-contributing countries (TCCs) toward their own populations “strongly and consistently” predicts high levels of misconduct by a country’s soldiers when deployed on UN missions. In the study, authors Cale Horne, Kellan Robinson, and Megan Lloyd examine a range of offenses, including sexual exploitation and abuse, committed by UN military peacekeepers between 2009 and 2016. They find support for their hypothesis that “the behavior of military forces in their own countries should easily predict their behavior when deployed as part of UN PKOs [peacekeeping operations], which are typically set in fragile, post-conflict countries where civilians have minimal protections or legal recourse.” In short, the authors find that “bad behavior at home predicts bad behavior on mission.”
In explaining this correlation, the authors conjecture that “systems where military forces are engaged in regular misconduct … seek to recruit individuals amenable to these behaviors,” while individuals who are “drawn to opportunities for unaccountable violence … seek entry into states’ security services in places where a uniform offers these rewards.” This implies that a “lack of education about what constitutes abuse is not the main source of misconduct among peacekeepers, and preemptive or remedial training may not be the answer to the problem of misconduct.” This finding lends credence to Code Blue’s long-held belief that the UN’s continued focus on pre-deployment training and education is merely a cosmetic response; instead, a complete reevaluation and codification of what disqualifies a country from becoming or remaining a TCC is necessary.
To improve the “bad behavior at home”—and therefore on mission—of military peacekeeping contingents, the authors suggest that the UN and major PKO funders “invest in security-sector reform [SSR] in TCCs where physical integrity violations are common.” In Burundi, SSR efforts have been led by the UN Integrated Office in Burundi (BINUB)—mandated by Security Council Resolution 1719 of 2006)—as well as the Burundi-Netherlands Security Sector Development Programme (established in 2009). While these programs achieved notable results, including increased transparency and oversight of the security sector, progress halted with the election of President Pierre Nkurunziza. For example, in March 2019, the UN announced that the Burundian government has forced the closure of the country’s UN Human Rights Office, which had worked on SSR. Similarly, the Burundi-Netherlands Security Development Programme was phased out after the 2015 crisis sparked by President Nkurunziza’s repressive actions, and was closed completely in 2017. It is therefore evident that, while SSR can lead to positive changes, the current situation in Burundi will not allow for it.
Further, promoting TCCs’ “good behavior” on missions is already the subject of UN Security Council Resolution 2272, in which the Security Council “requests”—but does not require—that the Secretary-General repatriate military peacekeeping contingents widely accused of committing sexual exploitation and abuse. This is not enough. Instead, in my view, the UN must address the correlation between “bad behavior at home” and “bad behavior on mission” by increasing standards for TCC participation in peacekeeping and by codifying the list of circumstances under which a TCC may be removed from peacekeeping. Countries like Burundi should not be paid to contribute troops to UN missions until behavior at home reflects the UN’s ideal for the behavior of peacekeepers.
Emma Schwartz is Research Assistant for AIDS-Free World’s Code Blue Campaign. She is currently completing a master’s degree in Global Affairs at the University of Toronto’s Munk School.
UN Photo / Marco Dormino