The UK is to send 20 soldiers to Malawi to train members of the Malawi Defence Forces in peacekeeping operations, prior to the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). They are to be deployed for two months, joining a burgeoning network of small squads of British soldiers already deployed in Iraq, Somalia and Nigeria on similar training missions.
Malawian troops are expected to take control of significant parts of the DRC and restore order, following the failure of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) to disarm. They will be joined by soldiers from Tanzania and South Africa in one of the largest ever UN peacekeeping deployments.
Following withdrawal from Afghanistan, such small-scale missions are becoming central to the 'defence engagement' approach of the British Army, working to help develop local capacity to protect civilians in unstable areas. These missions could form the basis of greater UK support to UN peacekeeping, putting the UK’s experience and resources to good use.
The UK has recently shown a growing commitment to peacekeeping, signing a memorandum of understanding with Ireland on joint peacekeeping training and UN deployments. While small, the Irish Army has a distinguished record on peacekeeping operations and has been an active contributor to UN missions since 1958. They currently contribute a total of 367 personnel to UN missions, compared to 289 from the UK.
UNA-UK is calling for more intensive UK engagement in UN peacekeeping missions. For more information on our policy recommendations, read our foreign policy manifesto.
Photo: British Paratroopers in training. Copyright: British Army
