List of United Nations peacekeeping missions

UN refugee camp in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

This is a list of UN peacekeeping missions since the United Nations was founded in 1945, organized by region, with the dates of deployment, the name of the related conflict, and the name of the UN operation.

Peacekeeping, as defined by the United Nations, is a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace. UN peacekeepers—soldiers and military officers, civilian police officers and civilian personnel from many countries—monitor and observe peace processes that emerge in post-conflict situations and assist ex-combatants in implementing the peace agreements they have signed. Such assistance comes in many forms, including confidence-building measures, power-sharing arrangements, electoral support, strengthening the rule of law, and economic and social development. All operations must include the resolution of conflicts through the use of force to be considered valid under the charter of the United Nations.

IDP camp in Sudan resulting from the Darfur conflict.

The Charter of the United Nations gives the Security Council the power and responsibility to take collective action to maintain international peace and security. For this reason, the international community usually looks to the Security Council to authorize peacekeeping operations. Most of these operations are established and implemented by the United Nations itself with troops serving under UN operational command. In other cases, where direct UN involvement is not considered appropriate or feasible, the Council authorizes regional organizations such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the Economic Community of West African States or coalitions of willing countries to implement certain peacekeeping or peace enforcement functions. In modern times, peacekeeping operations have evolved into many different functions, including diplomatic relations with other countries, international bodies of justice (such as the International Criminal Court), and eliminating problems such as landmines that can lead to new incidents of fighting.

Contents

Completed missions

Africa

Dates of operation Name of Operation Location Conflict Website
1960–1964 United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC) Democratic Republic of the Congo Congo Congo Crisis [1]
1988–1991 United Nations Angola Verification Mission I (UNAVEM I) Angola Angola Angolan Civil War [2]
1989–1990 United Nations Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG) Namibia Namibia Namibian War of Independence [3]
1991–1995 United Nations Angola Verification Mission II (UNAVEM II) Angola Angola Angolan Civil War [4]
1992–1994 United Nations Operation in Mozambique (ONUMOZ) Mozambique Mozambique Mozambican Civil War [5]
1992–1993 United Nations Operation in Somalia I (UNOSOM I) Somalia Somalia Somali Civil War [6]
1993–1997 United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL) Liberia Liberia First Liberian Civil War [7]
1993–1994 United Nations Observer Mission Uganda-Rwanda (UNOMUR) Rwanda Rwanda Rwandan Civil War [8]
Uganda Uganda
1993–1996 United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) Rwanda Rwanda Rwandan Civil War [9]
1993–1995 United Nations Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II) Somalia Somalia Somali Civil War [10]
1994 United Nations Aouzou Strip Observer Group (UNASOG) Chad Chad Aouzou Strip dispute [11]
Libya Libya
1995–1997 United Nations Angola Verification Mission III (UNAVEM III) Angola Angola Angolan Civil War [12]
1997–1999 United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA) Angola Angola Angolan Civil War [13]
1998–1999 United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL) Sierra Leone Sierra Leone Sierra Leone civil war [14]
1998–2000 United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic (MINURCA) Central African Republic Central African Republic Central African Republic mutinies [15]
1999–2005 United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) Sierra Leone Sierra Leone Sierra Leone civil war [16]
2000–2008 United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) Eritrea Eritrea Eritrean-Ethiopian War [17]
Ethiopia Ethiopia
2004–2007 United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB) Burundi Burundi Burundi Civil War [18]
1999–2010 United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) Democratic Republic of the Congo Congo Second Congo War [19]

Americas

Dates of operation Name of Operation Location Conflict Website
1965–1966 Mission of the Representative of the Secretary-General in the Dominican Republic (DOMREP) Dominican Republic Dominican Republic Operation Power Pack [20]
1989–1992 United Nations Observer Group in Central America (ONUCA) Costa Rica1 Central America Nicaraguan Civil War [21]
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
1991–1995 United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL) El Salvador El Salvador El Salvador Civil War [22]
1993–1996 United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) Haiti Haiti 1991 coup and military rule in Haiti [23]
1996–1997 United Nations Support Mission in Haiti (UNSMIH) Haiti Haiti Stabilizing Haiti's new democracy [24]
1997 United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA) Guatemala Guatemala Guatemalan Civil War [25]
1997 United Nations Transition Mission in Haiti (UNTMIH) Haiti Haiti Training of the Haitian National Police [26]
1997–2000 United Nations Civilian Police Mission in Haiti (MIPONUH) Haiti Haiti Training of the Haitian National Police [27]
2000–2001 United Nations General Assembly International Civilian Support Mission in Haiti (MICAH) Haiti Haiti Training of the Haitian National Police [28]

1  Shown are the flags of the five countries in which ONUCA operated. They are in this order (sorted alphabetically): Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Asia

Dates of operation Name of Operation Location Conflict Website
1962–1963 United Nations Security Force in West New Guinea (UNSF) Republic of West Papua1 West New Guinea Indonesian takeover of West New Guinea [29]
Netherlands
Indonesia
1965–1966 United Nations India-Pakistan Observation Mission (UNIPOM) India India Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 [30]
Pakistan Pakistan
1988–1990 United Nations Good Offices Mission in Afghanistan and Pakistan (UNGOMAP) Afghanistan Afghanistan Soviet invasion of Afghanistan [31]
Pakistan Pakistan
1991–1992 United Nations Advance Mission in Cambodia (UNAMIC) Cambodia Cambodia Vietnamese Occupation of Cambodia [32]
1992–1993 United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) Cambodia Cambodia Vietnamese Occupation of Cambodia [33]
1994–2000 United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) Tajikistan Tajikistan Tajikistan Civil War [34]
1999 United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) East Timor2 East Timor Indonesian invasion and occupation [35]
Indonesia
1999–2002 The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) East Timor2 East Timor Indonesian invasion and occupation [36]
Indonesia
2002–2005 United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) East Timor East Timor Indonesian invasion and occupation [37]

1  The first flag shown is that of the West Papua (West New Guinea), the country that had been arranged to succeed the Dutch colony. However, the Netherlands, whose flag is the second shown, was later forced to hand over the territory to Indonesia, whose flag is last.

2  Shown are the flags of the newly independent East Timor and its former occupier, Indonesia (in that order).

Europe

Dates of operation Name of Operation Location Conflict Website
1992–1995 United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) Bosnia and Herzegovina1 Former Yugoslavia Yugoslav wars [38]
Croatia
Republic of Macedonia
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
1993–2009 United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) Georgia (country) Georgia Abkhazian War [39]
1994–1996 United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation (UNCRO) Croatia Croatia Croatian War [40]
1995–2002 United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnian War [41]
1995–1999 United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP) Republic of Macedonia Republic of Macedonia Aftermath of the Yugoslav wars [42]
1996–1998 United Nations Transitional Authority in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) Croatia Croatia Croatian War [43]
1996–2002 United Nations Mission of Observers in Prevlaka (UNMOP) Croatia2 Prevlaka Peninsula Prevlaka territorial dispute [44]
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
1998 United Nations Civilian Police Support Group (UNPSG) Croatia Croatia Croatian War [45]

1  This mission operated within the former Yugoslav successor states of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro). The flags are shown in this order.

2  Prevlaka Peninsula was claimed by both Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) and the flags are shown in this order. Upon resolution, all parties accepted Croatia's claim to the territory.

Middle East

Dates of operation Name of Operation Location Conflict Website
1956–1967 First United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF I) Egypt Egypt Suez Crisis, Six-Day War [46]
Israel Israel
1958 United Nations Observation Group in Lebanon (UNOGIL) Lebanon Lebanon Lebanon crisis of 1958 [47]
1963–1964 United Nations Yemen Observation Mission (UNYOM) Yemen Arab Republic Yemen Yemen Civil War (See also Yemen Arab Republic) [48]
1973–1979 Second United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF II) Egypt Egypt Yom Kippur War [49]
Israel Israel
1988–1991 United Nations Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group (UNIIMOG) Iran Iran Iran–Iraq War [50]
Iraq Iraq
1991–2003 United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) Iraq Iraq Gulf War [51]
Kuwait Kuwait

Current deployment

Africa

Start of operation Name of Operation Location Conflict Website
1991 United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) Western Sahara Western Sahara Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara [52]
2003 United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) Liberia Liberia Second Liberian Civil War [53]
2004 United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) Côte d'Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire Civil war in Côte d'Ivoire [54]
2005 United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) Sudan Sudan Second Sudanese Civil War [55]
2007 United Nations/African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) Sudan Sudan Darfur Conflict [56]
2007 United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) Chad
Central African Republic
Chad, Central African Republic Darfur Conflict, War in Chad (2005–present) [57]
2010 United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) Democratic Republic of the Congo Congo Second Congo War [58]

Americas

Start of operation Name of Operation Location Conflict Website
2004 United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) Haiti Haiti 2004 Haiti rebellion [59]

Asia

Start of operation Name of Operation Location Conflict Website [60]
2006 United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) East Timor East Timor 2006 East Timor crisis [61]

Europe

Start of operation Name of Operation Location Conflict Website
1964 United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) Cyprus1 Cyprus Cyprus dispute [62]
Northern Cyprus
1999 United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Kosovo2 Kosovo Kosovo War [63]
Serbia

1  The United Nations and all foreign governments but Turkey recognise the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus, whose flag is shown first, over the whole island of Cyprus. The second flag is that of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a de facto state, by virtue of controlling the northern third of the island, which is recognized only by Turkey and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.

2  The top flag is the flag of Kosovo. The bottom flag is the flag of Serbia, used by Republic of Serbia which claims sovereignty over Kosovo. For more see Kosovo.

Middle East

Start of operation Name of Operation Location Conflict Website
1948 United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) Middle East (Monitors the various ceasefires and assists UNDOF and UNIFIL) [64]
1974 United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) Israel Golan Heights Agreed withdrawal by Syrian and Israeli forces following the Yom Kippur War. [65]
Lebanon
Syria1
1978 United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Lebanon Lebanon Israeli invasion of Lebanon and 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict [66]

1  Various regions of the Golan Heights have been claimed by Israel, Lebanon, and Syria; all three flags are shown, in alphabetical order.

See also

References

See individual mission websites with their listing.