Paying With Blood for Peace
Ma XiaolinA Chinese peacekeeper was killed and five others were injured when a car bomb struck a UN mission camp in Mali on May 31, the latest in a string of terror attacks. Ma Xiaolin, Professor of International Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, says with China assuming a greater role in UN peacekeeping missions, as expected by the international community, Chinese policymakers should urgently assess the risks for their peacekeepers in today’s complex and varied environment. His ideas follow:On May 31, a car bomb struck the camp of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in Gao, a northern town in the West African state, killing a Chinese peacekeeper. It was the second terrorist attack targeting MINUSMA within a week. On May 29, a UN motorcade was ambushed in the town of Sevare in central Mali, killing five peacekeepers.
The same month, a series of hits on MINUSMA claimed altogether 12 lives and injured many more. Since its inception in 2013, the UN mission in Mali has lost more than 60 lives, making it the UN’s deadliest peacekeeping operation.
Successive terrorist attacks targeting peacekeepers reflect the deterioration in the security situation in Mali. The international community has been showing concerns about the safety of the Blue Helmets, as the peacekeepers are called. China faces a hard and urgent task: how to discharge its international obligations and yet keep its peacekeepers safe.
The Chinese peacekeeping contingent to face the latest attack had arrived in Mali, where numerous armed organizations are active, in May. Comprising military engineers, security personnel and medical staff, it is to be deployed there for a year.
An affiliate of Al Qaeda in North Africa claimed responsibility for the recent attack on the MINUSMA camp. The same group had launched a series of attacks in the North Africa-Sahara region, including the carnage in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako, capital of Mali, in November. Twenty people were killed, including three Chinese.
However, the terrorist organization is not targeting the Chinese specifically. Its intention is simply to disrupt the neutral and peaceful mission of the Blue Helmets and it has been attacking them regardless of their nationalities. For China, the tragedy indicates that though the Chinese foreign policy of peaceful co-existence and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries is respected by the world community, it however cannot guarantee the safety of the Chinese peacekeepers on hazardous UN missions.
Blue Helmets are at constant risk when on missions in territories seeped in conflict. According to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, 129 peacekeepers died while on duty in 2015 alone.
China began participating in the work of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations in 1988, sending its first troops for UN peacekeeping missions the following year. Over the last 27 years, of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, which also includes France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, China has dispatched the largest number of peacekeepers. More than 3,000 Chinese have been taking part in more than 20 peacekeeping missions.
China is also the second largest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping missions, behind only the United States. Over the next three years, China will share 10.2 percent of the world body’s total expenses in this regard. During the UN Summit in New York City in September 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged that China would contribute 8,000 troops for the UN peacekeeping standby force.
China, owing to its increased national strength, is trying to assume a greater role in international affairs under the UN framework, as expected by the international community. On the other hand, Chinese peacekeepers are facing growing safety risks. Under the circumstances, it is an urgent task for China to avoid risks and reduce losses while implementing its international obligations. While actively participating in peacekeeping missions, efforts should also be made to avoid risks and minimize casualties.
In this regard, there are several lessons for China. In July 2006, a UN observation point on the Israel-Lebanon border suffered artillery strikes, in which a Chinese officer was fatally injured. In October 2005, a Chinese soldier was killed by gunshots in Liberia. In May 1993, rocket shells pierced a Chinese peacekeeper camp in Cambodia, killing two and injuring seven.
Thus, an urgent matter for China’s policymakers should be assessing risks to peacekeepers in complex and varied environments. In consideration of geopolitical factors, religious conflicts and rampant terrorist activities, the Chinese Government should exercise greater prudence before deciding whether to participate in such operations.
In fact, there was some concern over China’s decision to send peacekeep-ers to Mali in 2013 after MINUSMA was established to support reconciliation between the north and south and carry out security-related tasks.
The conflict in Mali is highly complex with some rebel groups fostering ties with international terror organizations. French security involvement has compounded this complexity. As a result, the conflict in Mali has been labeled both a religious war and a clash of civilizations.
To France, Mali has become a bloody battlefield in the fight against terrorism. But to Malian rebels, their country represents the frontline against Western “crusaders.” Under such circumstances, peacekeepers face a near-impossible task of not being affected by hatred of foreign interference.
After the Gao attack, Ban outlined measures to strengthen MINUSMA. His proposals include increasing the number of peacekeepers and police by 2,500. His proposals are to be deliberated by the UN Security Council.
China needs to reconsider its role in MINUSMA and evaluate the prevalent dangers in Mali. Participating in peacekeeping operations is an international obligation that China should fulfill as a big, responsible country. However, though Chinese peacekeepers are required to adhere to the UN peacekeeping principles of consent of the parties, impartiality and non-use of force except in self-defense and defense of the mandate, the Chinese Government should consider where to send its peacekeepers.
Of course, casualties are inevitable while undertaking peacekeeping operations. Therefore China must make even greater efforts to enhance the safety of its peacekeepers and increase their ability to cope with multiple threats in turbulent regions.
Though Chinese peacekeepers are required to adhere to the UN peacekeeping principles of consent of the parties, impartiality and non-use of force except in self-defense and defense of the mandate, the Chinese Government should consider where to send its peacekeepers.
Ma Xiaolin, Professor of International Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University
China’s Role in the Mali Mission
» 2013: China sent the first peacekeeping contingent to Mali after the West African nation plunged into chaos and violence following a military coup and armed attacks in 2012.
So far, China has sent four contingents, consistently contributing to Mali’s peace process.
The third contingent was replaced by the fourth consisting of 395 peacekeepers in May.
At the end of the third contingent’s mission, the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali issued a statement, lauding China’s role in preserving peace and stability in the region. » 2015: In the second half of the year, Chinese peacekeepers in Mali tackled over 90 incidents including bomb threats and terrorist attacks.
Chinese Blue Helmets have also helped a local community build a football pitch.
At present, more than 2,400 Chinese peacekeepers are operating in seven African task areas, including Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(Source: Xinhua News Agency)
Doctors from the Chinese peacekeeping contingent provide free medical service to local people in Gao, north Mali, on October 31, 2015