EVALUATION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS AND CIVILIAN PROTECTION MANDATE OF THE UNITED NATIONS IN SOMALIA POST-CONFLICT ERA

Abstract

The management of conflicts in Africa is irresistible with overwhelming challenges, as the intra-state battles persist with limited resource support and protection of civilians as provided in the Charter of the United Nations.   Subsequently, the dimension of global conflicts necessitated the formation of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and to manage all the UN conflict interventions.  The accounts of lingering skirmishes in the African continent are enormous and unwarranted by way of the continuous civil wars, increased human losses, dislocation of people and humanitarian requirements.  The connection between the United Nations and Somalia conflict management, focused on the Security Council’s approved mandates through the efforts of the African Union in Somalia (AMISOM), and the United Nations Assistance in Somalia (UNSOM) in resolving this crisis within the period under review.  The hitch of this study was on the institutional philosophy of global organisation, the qualitative approaches was adopted to analyse the effect of AMISOM and UNSOM on gender violence in Somalia. It is expected that the outcome of this study will add to knowledge, provide key insights in the relationship between AMISOM and UNSOM mandates on gender violence in Somalia, and offer strategies to address the issue.  The findings revealed that the UN mandate for human rights and civilian protection was impede by clash of interests of state and non-state players to this conflict. Hence, recommend the evaluation of the United Nation structure to accommodate the trend of conflicts in these contemporary times; creation of the military department for UN own troops to avoid divided loyalty among peacekeepers.