Blue Helmets for Africa: India’s Peacekeeping in Africa

The document provides a comprehensive review of India's involvement in UN peacekeeping missions in Africa, from the 1960 Congo crisis to missions in the 21st century. It identifies a shift in India's motivations from Cold War-era non-alignment and anti-colonial solidarity toward a strategic desire for global recognition and a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. The author details specific missions in countries such as Angola, Somalia, and Sierra Leone, highlighting both the humanitarian successes and the operational failures or controversies encountered. It concludes that India is likely to adopt a more cost-effective, case-by-case approach to future African peacekeeping to better serve its national interests.

• India's early motivations for African peacekeeping were rooted in Cold War dynamics, specifically 'solidarity with non-aligned countries' and an anti-colonial stance, viewing many African conflicts as a 'destructive legacy of the colonial past'.
• Beyond ideology, India uses peacekeeping to gain professional military exposure to international scenarios and to earn revenue from UN payments, which helps maintain its large permanent military forces.
• India's participation in African missions is linked to its ambition to secure a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), as it seeks to be perceived as a 'major force in regional and world affairs'.
• The United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC, 1960–1964) was India's first UN mission in Africa and was significant for being the first time the UN authorised the use of force to prevent civil war in an intra-state conflict.
• In Somalia (UNOSOM II), India demonstrated its ability to deploy an integrated force including land, naval, and air support, managing one-third of the country—the largest area ever controlled by any single contingent.
• India's involvement in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) was marked by a crisis in May 2000 when approximately 500 peacekeepers, including Indians, were captured and held hostage by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF).
• In the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), India provided the highest proportion of personnel by any member state as of December 2009, though the mission faced allegations of misconduct including smuggling and drug dealing.
• India has established itself as a leader in specific functional areas of peacekeeping, particularly in demining and the training of other peacekeepers through the Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping (CUNPK) established in 2000.
• The author forecasts that India's future approach to peacekeeping in Africa will shift from altruism toward a 'more cost-effective approach on a case-by-case basis', prioritising tangible foreign policy dividends.

APA

van Rooyen, F. (2010). Blue Helmets for Africa: India’s Peacekeeping in Africa. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Occasional-Paper-60.pdf

Chicago

van Rooyen, Frank. Blue Helmets for Africa: India’s Peacekeeping in Africa. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2010. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Occasional-Paper-60.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=van Rooyen |first1=Frank |title=Blue Helmets for Africa: India’s Peacekeeping in Africa |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=May 2010 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Occasional-Paper-60.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vanrooyen2010blue, author = {van Rooyen, Frank}, title = {{Blue Helmets for Africa: India’s Peacekeeping in Africa}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2010}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Occasional-Paper-60.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }