Putting Security Council Resolution 2098 on the Democratic Republic of Congo in Context: The Long Way of Peacekeeping

Abstract

This paper deals with the establishment of the so-called “Intervention Brigade” in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by Security Council Resolution 2098. In doing so, it outlines the history of Peacekeeping and how its fundamental principles – consent, impartiality and the restricted authorization to use force in self-defence only – have been re-interpreted along with the expansion of Peacekeeping mandates in order to show that the establishment of the Intervention Brigade is not as revolutionary as it seems at first. A closer inspection of how the Peacekeeping mission in the DRC evolved further supports this characterization since MONUSCO has operated on the basis of a “robust” mandate for long and thus has been involved in various military operations ever since. The specifically novelty of the Intervention Brigade is its explicitly “offensive” character, which challenges the traditional notions of Peacekeeping to a wide extent. The ultimate question, however, is whether this resolution is a mere exception or whether it constitutes a precedent for future Peacekeeping operations. Arguments in favour of both assumptions are presented, while it is clear that much will depend upon the success or failure of the Intervention Brigade in neutralizing the armed groups as envisaged by its mandate.

Keywords: Peacekeeping, Democratic Republic of Congo, Resolution 2098, Intervention Brigade, Impartiality, Neutrality, Consent, New Wars, Use of Force, Civil Wars, Non-international armed conflicts