This paper identifies lessons of the Joint Military Commission (JMC) in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains that may be applicable to UN military observers, troops, and civilian staff. The JMC has received much praise for its operations in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains, and many of the key factors for its success may be applicable to other peace operations. Among these are the joint monitoring concept, ownership of the JMC mechanism by the Parties, support from a donor body, a strong focus on impartiality and transparency, good information management and the supplementation of monitoring and conflict resolution with humanitarian and civil-military coordination (CIMIC) activities.
The paper recommends that in future cases when a UN operation takes over from a non-UN peacekeeping arrangement, the knowledge gained and lessons learned by the preceding arrangement be incorporated in subsequent UN operations, and that the key success factors of the JMC be validated for potential future implementation in a UN context.