The role of peacekeeping operations in monitoring the proliferation of small arms in conflict zones

In the past few decades, we are facing a rise of non-state actors around the globe, which challenges the notion of sovereignty and become competitors of the state in the fight for a monopoly of power. Because of the weakening role of the state, the traditional, conventional war between the states is being replaced by a high number of low-intensity conflicts within the states. Civil wars with a high number of non-state actors involved erupted massively around the globe and became the dominant type of warfare these days. In such a context, expensive and highly sophisticated weapons, mostly available only for states, became irrelevant. Instead, they have been replaced by cheap, easily acquired, and easy to use small arms, which became the dominant weapons in modern wars. The proliferation of small arms allows everyone interested to use force and complicates the likelihood of a peaceful conflict solution. Because of that, small arms control is a necessity to prevent the spread of the conflict, so it becomes an important condition for peace-building. But for an adequate response, it is important at first to understand the reasons for high number of small arms in conflict zones. “New wars” thinkers argue that the conflict states themselves, because of weak capacities can not independently prevent the proliferation, so there is a need for outside intervention. Following this, the work is analysing the role of international peacekeeping operations (PKOs) in monitoring the proliferation of illegal small arms in their operating areas. Numerous analyses done before analysed small arms control measures taken by peacekeepers, but most of them focused only on the success of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programs, leaving aside other small arms prevention-oriented activities unexploited in the academic literature. In response to this, a thesis is analysing the role of PKOs in monitoring the proliferation of small arms, the author is interested to answer to what extent those missions are capable to analyse the reasons of a high number of illegal small arms operating in the conflict zones and what variables challenges this work. To reach this goal, two cases have been taken into analysis - the United Nations stabilisation mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the UN Multidimensional Integrated stabilisation mission in Mali. This qualitative work at first identifies the ways how those PKOs are engaged in monitoring activities, by analysing the mandates, reports and other official documents. The second task is to show practical implementation challenges, which prevents peacekeepers from more active arms tracing activities. This has been done by interviewing intelligence officers who have practical working experience in analysed missions. Thesis observed that no matter the fact that monitoring small arms proliferation is an important condition to reduce violence and peacekeepers can make a significant contribution in this area, the latter are limited engaged in this activity. Systematic analysis of data regarding material encountered by PKOs can provide important information about sources and supply chains of armed actors illicitly procuring arms. But despite the mission’s potential, they do not have a mandate to monitor the illegal proliferation of small arms. It is the core challenge, preventing more active systematic weapons tracing activities. Cases showed that despite the formal mandate, sometimes PKOs are active in seized weapons analysis activities, but the absence of mandate for such work prevents the wider impact of these efforts. Thesis confirmed that PKOs can make a significant contribution to combatting illicit arms flows, but the absence of a political mandate limits the impact of their monitoring activities. In addition, lack of intelligence capabilities, not sufficient resources, low competences of peacekeepers also complicates the involvement in illicit weapons proliferation analysis