Fernandes in Freetown

Defence Minister George Fernandes has chosen the right moment to go to Sierra Leone at the head of a seven-member delegation. For India8217;s contingent of troops with the UN peacekeeping force in that strife-torn country, such a visit will be a big morale booster. Undoubtedly, the soldiers will be warmly commended by Fernandes for their outstanding performance and exemplary conduct in very trying circumstances. The second purpose of the visit is to confirm that India remains committed to playing its part in UN peacekeeping operations in the region. It is a good time to deliver both those messages. The last two and a half months have been a period fraught with tension and anxiety for the Defence Ministry as for the country at large while an Indian force of 223 was held in a detention camp at Kailahun by forces of the Revolutionary United Front. As is known, the RUF, which is engaged in a brutal battle to retain access to diamond mining areas in neighbouring Congo, respects neither rules of engagement nor the blueberets. There was huge relief at the end of last week when Indian commandos supported by Indian and British helicopters launched a daring operation and rescued all the Indian troops as well as other UN personnel from Kailahun.

India has always been committed to the UN8217;s peacekeeping role and Indian participation in UN missions goes back many decades. One of the earliest was Unifil in the mid-sixties. That has been followed by many others in all of which the contributions of Indian troops and officers have been invaluable and recognised as such by the UN. The primary purpose of India8217;s involvement in peacekeeping operations has been to uphold the principles of the UN and contribute to establishing peace and security where they are threatened and where, importantly, UN intervention can make a difference. Besides the essential peacekeeping, there are other lesser objectives. India has one of the largest standing armies in the world and it is natural that UN missions abroad should be seen as an opportunity for Indian troops to enhance their combat experience in varied terrain and conditions. Coordinating operations on the ground and at command level with other nations has been an important learning experience as well. Finally, UNsalaries are no mean incentive for the troops themselves.

In recent years, in the light of experience, a distinction has been made between peacekeeping and peace enforcement, the first being a situation where an agreement, typically a ceasefire agreement, pre-exists and the second involves intervention in a situation prior to a ceasefire when the forces of two countries or two sides in a civil war are still locked in combat. India along with several other major nations rightly takes the position, reiterated by Jaswant Singh recently, that it will only involve itself in UN operations to reinforce or maintain a peace agreement. Peace enforcement under the UN flag has been and remains problematic. No consensus has been possible on whether such intervention conforms to the UN charter or on the system of command and control of multinational forces in combat. Until there is clarity, India should restrict itself to peacekeeping.