Blue Helmets: Which countries are UN forces still deployed in?

Maintaining peace. This is the primary mission of the Blue Helmets, the military personnel who have been operating under the United Nations banner since 1948. Their commitment earned them the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988, in recognition of their interventions in regions ravaged by conflict.

Among these operations, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been deployed since 1978. However, on Thursday, August 28, the Security Council decided to "extend UNIFIL's mandate for the last time" until December 31, 2026, under pressure from the United States and Israel, which have continued to criticize their actions.

Beyond Lebanon, peacekeepers are now present in ten other territories, mainly in Africa, but also in the Middle East, Asia and Europe.

The United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in the Middle East is the oldest UN mission still in operation. Established in 1948 and based in Jerusalem, just after the birth of the State of Israel, UNTSO is also the UN's first peacekeeping operation.

Its approximately 300 military observers have since been monitoring compliance with the ceasefires and Israeli-Arab armistice agreements signed in 1949 with Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

Upon their independence in 1947, India and Pakistan fought for control of Kashmir. The war ended in 1949 with a ceasefire brokered by the UN, which immediately deployed an observer mission. The region was then divided: Jammu and Kashmir, administered by India, to the south, and Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, annexed by Pakistan, to the north.

After a new conflict, the two countries signed the Shimla Agreement in 1972. However, more than 100 peacekeepers remain mobilized on site to monitor the ceasefire line , even though India considers that the UN no longer has a role to play.

Having gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960, Cyprus quickly suffered violent clashes between Greek Cypriots, who supported union with Greece, and Turkish Cypriots, who were worried about being marginalized. To contain the violence, the Security Council intervened on the island in 1964 with the United Nations Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).

The crisis worsened in 1974 when a coup d'état led by Greek nationalists overthrew the president and annexed the island to Greece. In response, Turkey invaded the northern part of the territory. Since then, a demilitarized buffer zone established by the UN, the "Green Line," has separated the two parts of the island. Around 1,000 peacekeepers, mostly British and Argentinian, have been deployed there to prevent further clashes, protect civilians, and facilitate humanitarian action.

The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has been deployed since 1974 on the Golan Heights , a no man's land created after the Yom Kippur War, to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire between Israel and Syria.

With the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the mission became much more perilous. The situation worsened further in 2024, when the collapse of the Syrian regime allowed the Israeli army to enter the buffer zone. The approximately 1,300 peacekeepers present, mostly Nepalese, were now tasked with maintaining the ceasefire and monitoring the areas of separation.

Lebanon has hosted peacekeepers since 1978, following the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from the south of the country. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) aims to restore security and support the Lebanese government in reestablishing its authority.

In 2000, UNIFIL established the "Blue Line," the provisional border between Lebanon and Israel. After the 2006 war, its numbers were increased: more than 10,000 peacekeepers (including nearly 700 French soldiers) now monitor the cessation of hostilities, report on violations, and support the redeployment of the Lebanese army in the south of the country.

The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) was created in 1991 to decide the future of this territory in southern Morocco. Its mission was to help residents choose between independence and annexation to Morocco.

More than thirty years later, no agreement has been reached between Morocco and the Polisario Front, a Sahrawi independence movement. In the absence of a referendum, the 400 peacekeepers deployed there, mainly from Bangladesh and Egypt, are now dedicated to monitoring the ceasefire.

The presence of UN peacekeeping forces in the DRC dates back to 1999, during the Second Congo War, often described as the largest interstate conflict in contemporary Africa. Since 2010, the mission has been called MONUSCO.

Despite the war's official end in 2003, regional instability and ongoing tensions have justified the continued presence of approximately 14,000 peacekeepers, primarily from Bangladesh, Nepal, and India. Their mandate is to monitor peace agreements, protect civilians, and support the reconstruction of the Congolese state.

Following the Kosovo War, Security Council Resolution 1244 created UNMIK (United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo) in 1999. It was to provisionally manage the territory, initially assuming almost all of the sovereign functions: police, justice, administration, education, etc.

Following Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008, most of its responsibilities were transferred to local authorities and the European Union. Today, just over 300 peacekeepers, mostly European, remain deployed to promote stability and ensure respect for fundamental rights.

Since 2011, two UN operations have coexisted in the Sudanese region. The largest is the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), created at the time of the country's independence. It aims to support the state plunged into instability, a situation exacerbated by the 2013 civil war. With approximately 18,000 soldiers, mainly Rwandan and Indian, the mission ensures the protection of civilians, the security of humanitarian aid, and the implementation of the cessation of hostilities agreement.

UNISFA is responsible for controlling the sensitive Abyei region, a disputed buffer zone between Sudan and South Sudan. Around 4,000 peacekeepers have been monitoring the border there since 2011, facilitating aid deliveries, and having authorization to use force to protect civilians.

Since April 10, 2014, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic has deployed more than 18,600 peacekeepers to the Central African Republic. Their priority is to protect the residents caught up in the civil war that began in 2013.

Composed largely of Rwandan, Bangladeshi and Pakistani contingents, the UN forces are also tasked with ensuring respect for human rights and guaranteeing the delivery of humanitarian aid.