Given these continued abuses, the protection of civilians in armed conflicts ...

Given these continued abuses, the protection of civilians in armed conflicts remains an enormous task that is difficult to carry out. Although it is true that through its Operation Shop Window MONUSCO was able to restore calm in the east of the country after the events of Walikale, there is reason to question its ability fully to carry out its mission to protection civilians. The area it must cover, although limited to the region of the Kivus, is too vast. It is larger than Afghanistan, and the difficulties related to infrastructure seem insurmountable. The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur and MINURCAT in the Central African Republic, to cite just two examples, are also facing the same challenges. The problem, therefore, is twofold: first, the ability of peacekeeping operations to adapt to their environment and, secondly, ensuring that the resources made available to them match the missions they are given.