The Problems of French-led Peace Operations in Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa

By examining peace operations in Cote d'Ivoire, Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), this article shows that French-led peace operations in francophone Sub-Saharan Africa are highly problematic. This is especially true for those countries towards which France simultaneously pursues a bilateral military policy. The maintenance of the policy makes the political neutrality of the operations difficult and undermines international peacekeeping efforts. Furthermore, it gives African actors the opportunity to instrumentalize the policies and use them against each other. Therefore, only a full multilateralization of French military engagement, as well as a stronger commitment by other external actors, can make peace operations in the region more credible and more effective.