United Nations Peacekeeping

This story was written by the Justice and Corrections Service at the UN Department of Peace Operations, which supports the work of peacekeeping operations and special political missions, as well as other UN entities, to strengthen the rule of law and criminal justice systems, including courts and prisons. 

In some peacekeeping settings, armed groups attack prisons as a deliberate strategy. Their aim may be to release dangerous inmates and destabilize communities or to free their own members and bolster their ranks by coercing newly released inmates to join them. In others, prisoners are breaking free to escape appalling conditions. Regardless of the reasons, a single mass escape can significantly set back what peacekeeping has taken years to accomplish.  

“Peacekeepers risk their lives to oppose armed groups and protect civilians, but without a functioning prison system, high-risk prisoners can sometimes simply walk away,” warns Robert Pulver, Chief of the Justice and Corrections Service at the UN Department of Peace Operations. 

Effective, well-managed prisons are essential to public safety and long-term peace. When prisons are not secured, they can become targets for armed groups. When they are overcrowded, under-resourced or inhumane, they can become flashpoints for violence, mass escapes and radicalization, undermining already fragile peace efforts.  “Without safe, secure and humane prisons, there can be no law and order and no rule of law, the lives of civilians are put in danger and peace remains at risk,” says Pulver.  

The cost of inaction 

In January, armed group offensives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) resulted in prison breaks, including in the cities of Goma, Bukavu and Kabare. Over 7,000 prisoners escaped, of which more than 4,500 were high-risk inmates. Some were members of armed groups, some had been convicted of crimes against humanity, war crimes and conflict-related sexual violence. Some remain at large, making threats against victims and those who were involved in the legal proceedings against them. Some have rejoined armed groups, including in command positions.  

In Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), Ngaragba Prison was housing more than five times its intended capacity, causing food shortages, deaths from malnutrition and heightened security and health risks.  Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa, DRC, was designed to hold 1,500 inmates but was holding close to 10 times that when an escape occurred last September.  Prisons like these “are time bombs waiting to explode,” says Pulver, facing much higher risks of mass escapes.   

In conflict-affected settings, prison breaks undo the hard work missions have undertaken to remove dangerous individuals from communities and hold them accountable. They erode confidence in state capacity to maintain order and exacerbate cycles of violence – especially when armed actors exploit prison breaks to advance their agendas.  

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Building safe prisons 

With support from Member States, UN peacekeeping missions are helping national authorities in conflict-affected countries improve prison management and security. In the DRC, [1] UN peacekeeping has supported the installation of surveillance systems, like CCTV and drones, the improvement of infrastructure and the development of emergency response protocols. In [2]the CAR [2], we have supported health screenings for over 2,000 detainees, helping them get treatment for illness and malnutrition through the International Committee of the Red Cross [3]. In Kosovo [4], we have supported rehabilitation programmes for inmates.  

Currently, 28 Member States provide corrections personnel to peacekeeping and special political missions to help in these efforts. These officers help train national prison staff in key areas including the prevention of violent extremism and prison escapes. However, many challenges remain due to insufficient resources, jeopardizing the very security goals peacekeepers strive to achieve.  

Stepping up support 

Canada, Rwanda and Sweden co-chair the Group of Friends of Corrections in New York [5] to draw more political support, expertise and resources for this often-neglected aspect of peace operations.  

The upcoming Peacekeeping Ministerial [6] in Berlin offers a key opportunity for Member States to strengthen this work. Participants are expected to pledge vital resources, including trained corrections personnel and equipment such as protective gear and metal detectors.  

This support will help transform at-risk prisons from security liabilities into pillars of peace and public safety.