The ethical dilemmas in United Nations Security Council (UNSC) peacekeeping missions in complex African conflicts: a case of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from 2013 to 2023.

Abstract

Using the DRC as a case study, this research sought to investigate the ethical dilemmas faced by UNSC peacekeeping operations in complex African complex. The main objective of the study was to critically examine the ethical dilemmas that the UNSC's peacekeeping missions in the DRC had to deal with. The principal aim of the study was accomplished through the utilization of constitutive theory and the concept of classical realism as a compass. The primary sources of information included the Military, Police, Civilian, Prisons and Correctional Services, and diplomats—who were selected for their particular experience and proficiency in peacekeeping missions. NVIVO 11 was used to analyze the collected data, and the results yielded themes that the researcher then presented verbatim. The study concluded that the primary causes of violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were ethnicity, political difficulties, institutional deficiences, geographical issues, and post-independence problems. Furthermore, studies showed that the main reasons the UNSC escalated the bloodshed in the DRC were to support Western agendas, legitimize authoritarian regimes, and further US foreign policy objectives. The UNSC peacekeeping force is confronted with several moral dilemmas, including social disintegration, human casualties, constitutional crises, and UN Charter violations that have resulted in ceaseless wars. Therefore, the study advises African nations to make security-related investments if they want to protect their national sovereignty from outside influence, reliance, and meddling. African nations must also be self sufficient and not overly reliant on other nations to solve their own problem.