The Role Of Canadian Peacekeeping

Canada has been actively involved with the United Nations since its creation in 1945. Since then, Canadian peacekeepers have participated in almost every single peacekeeping mission. The role of Canadian peacekeeping was to bring peace and stability between countries. However, Canada’s role is slowly starting to diminish because of its failure to prevent conflict in peacekeeping missions. Examples of this instance include the mass genocide in Rwanda, the civil war in Somalia and Yugoslavian crisis. Through the months, April to July in 1994, approximately 800,000 to 1 million Tutsis and some moderate Hutus were massacred in the Rwandan genocide. More than 67% of women, who were raped during the genocide were infected with HIV and AIDS. In
Canada, along with more than 20 other nations, participated in this as well. During their time in Somalia, Canadians did many things to try to improve the desperate situation there. They escorted starvation relief convoys, participated in the removal of land mines, and collected or destroyed thousands of confiscated weapons. Despite their best efforts, the international forces could not end the strife in the country. In late 1992, the 900 soldiers of the Canadian Airborne Regiment were sent to Somalia on a difficult peacekeeping mission. Nomadic gangs terrorized the country with weapons and interfered with food deliveries. The Airborne Regiment had been standing guard; at night soldiers kept watch for intruders who had been breaking into the Canadian compound and stealing supplies. On March 4, two Somalis were shot by soldiers on patrol at the compound. One was wounded, the other was shot dead with two or three bullets. An Army surgeon, Dr. Barry Armstrong, revealed that the man had lived for a few minutes, then was shot "execution-style in the head." 12 days later, there was another awful incident. A 16-year-old, Shidane Arone, was tortured and murdered on the base. One of the soldiers involved took pictures of the torture. Of the two most directly involved in the torture, Clayton Matchee tried to hang himself in his cell. He suffered
For a considerable amount of the 20th century, a communist country known as Yugoslavia had lived in unity. However, long-standing cultural, religious and political differences between the Serbian, Croatian and Muslim populations in Yugoslavia created an atmosphere of distrust that caused a major instability. Once the dictatorial rule in the country began to disperse, the different ethnic and religious groups erupted into violence. The first direct Canadian involvement was in 1991-1992 when Canadian Armed Forces officers participated in the European Community Monitoring Mission. The United Nations Protection Force proved unsuccessful, as negotiating periods were constantly violated while negative ethnic cleansing and mass slaughter raged on. The UN Security Council produced over 70 resolutions that the stressed UNPROFOR could not possibly implement. Canada deployed over 2,500 soldiers to the former Yugoslavia. While these contributions helped in the short term, it took much patience and perseverance at the negotiating table, as well as casualties in the field to produce a workable peace agreement. Canada and other peacekeeping nations faced huge challenges in Yugoslavia and there was very little they could do to limit the worst of the violence brought on by the hatred and ferocity of the combatants there. After an ethnic cleansing campaign led by the Serbians which targeted the