The Role of Host-State Consent and Cooperation in the Success of UN Peacekeeping Operations: A Comparative Study of Sierra Leone And South Sudan

The effectiveness of United Nations peacekeeping, long considered a key mechanism of international conflict resolution, has remained a subject of ongoing debate. This study investigates the critical role of host-state consent and cooperation in determining the success of UN peace operations. Focusing on two multidimensional UN missions—UNAMSIL in Sierra Leone and UNMISS in South Sudan—the research examines how variations in host-state consent and cooperation influence operational effectiveness. Both missions were authorised under Chapter VII of the UN Charter and deployed in countries characterised by fragility and prolonged conflict marked by persistent violence. Despite these structural similarities, the outcomes of the two missions diverged significantly. To shed light on this divergence, the study adopts a most-similar systems design and finds that sustained host-state consent and cooperation was a key determinant of mission success. These findings highlight the importance of host-state cooperation beyond strategic consent, with implications for the future of peace operations in fragile and complex contexts.