Scholars urge for clear UN mandates for peacekeepers

Danish scholars have called on the United Nations to be more focused when sending peacekeeping troops to curtail conflicts in different parts of the world. Speaking at the secretariat of the National Commission to Fight Against the Genocide (CNLG), the Danish scholars called upon the UN to send enough troops with clear a mandate to countries in conflict. “I happen to believe in UN stopping conflicts but history has proved that some countries don’t send in enough troops which leads to the whole mission’s failure,” said Elizabeth Moltke, a genocide researcher from the Danish Institute for International Studies. In an interview with The New Times, Moltke said that it was unfair and old fashioned for the UN to have no permanent African representative in the Security Council, saying that it will not be effective due to lack of balance in decision- making processes. She asserted that, UN has failed many times in stopping genocides and doing nothing is as dangerous as participating in it. The Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994 took place despite the presence of UN troops under the mission that was called the United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR). “Rwanda went through dark times during 1994 genocide against the Tutsi; however reconciliation has taken a good step,” Moltke noted. Sharing their expertise with CNLG staff, Simon Turner, the head of the research unit extolled the Rwandan government’s effort to promote unity amongst citizens which has stimulated development. “Compared to Bosnia, Cambodia and Burundi, Rwanda has reached another step far in bringing peace, justice and reconciliation,” Turner stated. According to the Executive Secretary of CNLG, Jean de Dieu Mucyo, the researchers came as part of the commission’s effort to share and partner with different international institutions experience and expertise. “We are also looking forward to receiving American students who will come soon to share the experience with us, we shall learn from each other,” Mucyo added. The Danish Institute for International Studies is an organisation that carries out research on conflict, Diasporas, development and Genocide. The institute publishes in Danish and has been consulted by the World Bank and other international organisations. Ends