The UN peacekeeping operations have been deployed to CAR, DRC, Mali and South Sudan with the primary goal of ensuring the protection of civilians, and while the missions have succeeded at maintaining a partial level of stability, affected populations are still exposed to protection threats on a daily basis. With an increasing mismatch between resources and inflated mandates, a widening gap between populations’ expectations and reality, and increasing levels of distrust, UN peacekeeping operations have struggled to sustain their legitimacy. MINUSMA and DRC MONUSCO have already been expelled totally and partially by the national governments, raising questions about the future of peacekeeping and their role in ensuring the protection of civilians.

This study identifies key and fundamental shortcomings in the peacekeeping missions’ intervention and ways of working, to which it presents concrete and comprehensive recommendations. The study also highlights local and traditional community protection and conflict management mechanisms, which are promising and provide an opportunity for inclusive and durable peace.