Peace Enforcement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Reflections on the Force Intervention Brigade

In the past two decades, the world has witnessed a speedy evolution of peacekeeping mandates. In Africa, the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has become the biggest testing ground where United Nations missions have transformed from traditional peacekeeping to a novel complex of peacekeeping and peace enforcement. The crescendo of this evolution is exemplified by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2098 that authorized, within MONUSCO, a Force Intervention Brigade to neutralize all armed groups working contrary to the objectives of peace and stability in the eastern part of the country. This paper assesses the Force Intervention Brigade in order to determine whether its operations have matched the expectations set by its proponents. It argues that contrary to the promise, FIB operations have been impeded by political and strategic factors which have far-reaching implications on the form and structure of future peace operations on the African continent.