If they stay in between the groups, they are likely to get killed. In addition to the cooperation of the parties, several other factors are important to the success of peacekeeping operations. One is the provision of adequate resources. This has meant that UN peacekeeping forces are often much smaller than what is needed and more poorly equipped. Needless to say, such shortages compromise effectiveness.
Problems also arise when peacekeepers find themselves being drawn into the conflict on one side.
This conference was on the Role of Intervention in the Post Cold-War World. Peacekeeping was one form of intervention discussed. This article talks about NGO humanitarian assistance, governmental peacemaking activities, and how they need to be better coordinated with military peacekeeping operations. This article explains how peacekeeping has deterred peacemaking in Cyprus. This and the following two stories give brief descriptions of UN peacekeeping operations.