Caveats – the peacekeepers’ worst enemy

The messiest and bloodiest conflict in the world is in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo): in a decade of fighting more than three million people have been killed and approximately two and a half million displaced. These are hardly paltry statistics, but they reflect another aspect of the conflict - which is that it is probably the most under-reported in the world.

Without indulging in a beauty contest of tragedy and horror, it is fair to say the conflict in Darfur has received more attention - which has not helped those suffering much - possibly because it is slightly easier to understand: one set of people have been displaced and murdered by a militia under apparent control of the central government. In the DR Congo the conflict has involved seven nations and a variety of extremely bizarre militia. Among them they have been engaged in a massive power struggle complicated further by fights over the vast natural resources in the DR Congo. Following the presidential elections held last year there is a chance the country may finally stabilise - senate elections passed peacefully last week - but maybe not.

The UN has its largest peacekeeping mission in the DR Congo, with more than 17,000 troops. The EU has also twice intervened militarily in the country: Operation Artemis in 2003 and Eufor in 2006. Both operations were considered useful, the first deservedly so, the second somewhat unjustifiably.

Artemis was effectively a French operation under an EU guise and its troops did their job well: they faced down the rebel forces in the Ituri area and so allowed for the process of stabilisation there. This is not by chance, for while in other areas it may be possible to become extremely frustrated with the French, it must be said that when they decide to intervene militarily they tend to do so extremely professionally: they both deploy forces and employ them, and never bleat about body-bags. With a long history of internal and external conflicts, they know fighting can involve death, and accept it as part of the risk: they treat their casualties and take their dead home, bury them with full honours, and move on.

Not all European nations have such a professional or realistic approach to using force: most balk at actually deploying their troops and hardware anywhere, and if they do then tend to desist from employing them in any useful way by insisting on a mass of caveats. The second EU mission to the DR Congo, Eufor, undoubtedly suffered from this trend.

Like Artemis, Eufor was also created in support of the UN mission there, Monuc. In this case assistance was sought to ensure stability during the elections. Unlike Artemis, initially no EU nation stepped up to the plate once the Council of Ministers had decided to deploy a mission and most eventually had to be shamed into going. Germany reluctantly agreed to lead the force of 2,000, supported by France, and with a rag-bag of troops from a further 20 European nations, including a few from Turkey.

The nations placed many caveats on the employment of Eufor. As a result, most of the troops were stationed in neighbouring Gabon and those in theatre were effectively barred from moving outside Kinshasa - a major drawback given the DR Congo is three times the size of France, with a widely dispersed population of 58 million, interspersed with remnants of the many fighting forces.

Despite these drawbacks, the UN was apparently grateful for the EU deployment, since it gave a sense of heightened international involvement. That may be, but Eufor was not an impressive exercise and the EU has much to learn from it. From the reluctance to participate to the many caveats, it is an example of sloppy politics and unprofessional implementation. But perhaps it is fitting for an organisation unwilling to take up its role on the world stage.

• Ilana Bet-El is an academic, author and policy adviser based in Brussels.

The messiest and bloodiest conflict in the world is in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo): in a decade of fighting more than three million people have been killed and approximately two and a half million displaced. These are hardly paltry statistics, but they reflect another aspect of the conflict - which is that it is probably the most under-reported in the world.