The monusco Force Intervention Brigade at 10 and the Quest for Fair UN Peacekeeping Involvement in Non-International Armed Conflicts

Abstract This article aims at assessing the fairness of peacekeeping involvement in non-international armed conflicts in light of ten years of practice of the monusco Force Intervention Brigade (2013–2023). The article posits that respect for the three principles of peacekeeping, namely non-use of armed force except for self-defence, neutrality/impartiality, and consent of the belligerents, can be used to measure the fairness of a peacekeeping mission. Reference to procedural fairness as legitimacy, following the work of Thomas Franck, is employed here. The article describes the mandate of the monusco Force Intervention Brigade in light of ten years of the UN Security Council’s resolutions and practice in the field to conclude that the mission does not comply with the principles of peacekeeping and, thus, it cannot be seen as a fair UN involvement in a non-international armed conflict.