Obama Secures 40,000 More U.N. Troops for Peacekeeping Efforts
Obama Secures 40,000 More U.N. Troops for Peacekeeping Efforts
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U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks during a Leaders Summit on Peacekeeping to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations in Manhattan, New York September 28, 2015.Andrew Kelly—Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama has successfully petitioned more than 50 countries to provide 40,000 additional peacekeeping forces to quell ongoing conflicts across the globe.
Unveiled at the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Monday, the deployment marks a significant surge in the U.N. peacekeeping effort: collectively, countries ranging from China to Colombia have pledged troops.
The U.N. relies on volunteer forces from its member states to sustain its peacekeeping initiatives, a fact Obama reminded his fellow global leaders on Monday, AFP reported.
“We know that peace operations are not the solution to every problem,” Obama said at the summit. “But they do remain one of the world’s most important tools to address armed conflict.”
He began his speech by noting that for 70 years, “our collective ability to ‘maintain international peace and security’ has often depended on the willingness of courageous U.N. peacekeepers to put their lives on the line in war-torn corners of the world.”
His appeal led to China’s commitment to provide a standby police force of 8,000, training initiatives for 2,000 more overseas, and $100 million in stabilization funds for the African Union. Smaller nations — such as Armenia and Fiji — also joined the commitment.
There are currently 125,000 U.N. troops engaged in 16 peace missions across the world.
Inside Sudan's War-Torn Darfur
Members of the rebel group Sudan Liberation Army led by Abdul Wahid (SLA-AW) climb towards the front lines in Jebel Marra, Central Darfur, Sudan, on March 4, 2015. The mountainous area has been a stronghold of the SLA-AW since the conflict between the neglected population and the Sudanese government broke out in 2003.Adriane OhanesianAn overhead view from the rebel territory that overlooks the town of Kroun in Jebel Marra, Central Darfur, Sudan, on March 4, 2015.Adriane OhanesianAdam Abdel, age 7, is seen on Feb. 27, 2015. He was badly burned after a bomb—said to be dropped by the Sudanese government on Feb. 12—landed next to his family's home in Burgu, Central Darfur, Sudan.Adriane OhanesianWomen from the town of Golo wake up in the morning on the side of a mountain where they sleep outside of Kome in Central Darfur, Sudan, on Feb. 28, 2015.Adriane OhanesianAfter fleeing a ground attack on the town of Golo on Jan. 24, a woman carries a bowl of water up the mountain from where she lives under a tree outside of Kome in Central Darfur, Sudan, Feb. 28, 2015.Adriane OhanesianHundreds of women and children seek shelter in a cave from the bombing by government forces outside of the town of Sarong in Central Darfur, Sudan, March 2, 2015.Adriane OhanesianIn the early morning, sisters wake up in a cave where they sleep with hundreds of other people whose villages have been destroyed, or who are seeking shelter from bombardment, outside Sarong in Central Darfur, Sudan, March 2, 2015.Adriane OhanesianRebel soldiers from the Sudan Liberation Army – Abdul Wahid (SLA-AW) keep warm by a fire outside their camp in North Darfur, Sudan, on Feb. 22, 2015.Adriane OhanesianRebel soldiers from the Sudan Liberation Army – Abdul Wahid (SLA-AW) prepare the truck to go for water in the middle of a sand storm in North Darfur, Sudan, on Feb. 24, 2015.Adriane OhanesianCivilians flee their homes with the few belongings they could carry, while members of the SLA-AW walk toward the front lines in Central Darfur, Sudan, on March 4, 2015.Adriane OhanesianRebels of the Sudan Liberation Army, led by Abdul Wahid (SLA-AW), defended the top of a mountain from government forces in Central Darfur, Sudan, on March 4, 2015. Adriane OhanesianA body decays out in the open above the abandoned town of Koi that was attacked and burned a week earlier by government forces in Central Darfur, Sudan, on March 2, 2015.Adriane Ohanesian
