The applicability of international humanitarian law to the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

The thesis intends to direct attention to the problems caused by the increased legitimization of use of force through peacekeeping mandates. The core of the thesis answers whether peacekeepers can, once authorized to take up arms, be bound by international humanitarian law (IHL), and whether they can be held accountable for grave breaches thereof. The case study of the MONUSCO peacekeeping-mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) offers valuable ground for consideration of the two formerly distinct concepts of peacekeeping and the laws of armed conflict.