The article traces evolution of peacekeeping in Africa and takes the DRC as a case-study of the UN activity from 1960 deployment of ONUC to the latest deployment of MONUSCO. The article aims to establish the impact of the evolution of the UN in peacekeeping efforts in the DRC.  It will determine how the mandate has fared in enhancing peacekeeping efforts in the DRC and establish why the FIB has failed to neutralise the M23 after its resurgence.  The article asserts that the evolution of peacekeeping operations in Africa, particularly the FIB case, highlights the changing nature of peacekeeping efforts on the continent. The FIB’s establishment in 2013 as a part of MONUSCO represents a shift towards a more robust and proactive peacekeeping strategies. The authors found that although the evolution of peacekeeping in the DRC is viewed as a positive development towards the attainment of positive peace, it is not without its challenges. The lack of resources and continued interference of foreign players in African politics will always challenge the principle of African solutions to African problems. It is argued that some of the problems faced in the DRC are not African, but very much foreign or western due to the West’s insatiable desire for African resources. The holistic approach to addressing DRC problems, or any other armed African conflicts should involve the P5 members of the UN Security Council since some of them should be held accountable for their double standards.  Based on an interdisciplinary, historical and structural-functional approach, an interview method with AU experts, diplomats in the DRC and former MONUSCO staff, and a critical analysis of secondary sources and statistical data from the UN, AU, TNCs, this study examines the evolution of peacekeeping in Africa, with a particular focus on MONUSCO and its FIB.

This article was submitted 29.11.2024