Since 1948, more than two million uniformed peacekeepers have served in over 70 United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions.
They have come from over 120 UN member states. But a few countries have regularly contributed a significant proportion of their troops. They have also made peacekeeping a foreign policy priority, and have adapted their own armed forces to fit UN requirements. These states have developed what we call “peacekeeping armies”.
Since the end of the cold war, the vast majority of these peacekeepers have been deployed in Africa, many of them by African countries. Today, 11 of the 20 countries that contribute the most to UN peacekeepers are African. African states also provide soldiers for operations authorised by the African Union and other African regional organisations.
