Peacekeeping headaches in DR Congo
Peacekeepers needed for DR Congo
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Saturday, 29, Nov 2008 04:01
Western countries must beware allegations of neo-colonialism when considering military interventions in sub-Saharan Africa, an expert in the region has warned.
Nigel Inkster of the International Institute for Strategic Studies told inthenews.co.uk he believes a "sense of reality" is vital when policymakers consider the deployment of military forces in the region.
"If you get western nations piling into these countries without a broader mandate from the international community then allegations of neo-colonialism are going to emerge very quickly," he said.
"Western countries can really only hope to exercise influence if they are able to do so in concert with some of the other key stakeholders."
Countries like China and Russia are reluctant to permit armed interventions in countries like Zimbabwe, based on concerns about interfering with other states' internal affairs.
The UN security council has nevertheless approved 3,000 reinforcements for the 17,000-strong peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the main concern is humanitarian suffering in the face of rebel advances.
Now the problem is finding countries prepared to complete the complement of additional forces.
Concerns that western countries will struggle to meet the commitments are legitimate, Mr Inkster said.
"One has to accept there are realistic limits on what the populations of western populations are prepared to countenance in terms of military deployments in places where they don't feel much connection or affinity," he continued.
"It's bad enough getting European countries to commit troops to somewhere like Afghanistan where the rationale for doing so is in some senses clearer."
Accepting contributions from African countries is also fraught with difficulty.
Mr Inkster warned many African countries contribute peacekeepers as a "revenue-generating exercise" and that "you can end up with people having a vested interest in peacekeeping difficulties".