​Pressure on international organizations such as the African Union, the European Union and the United Nations to justify the financial, human and political resources spent on peace operations led to a growing demand to measure impact and effectiveness. The Norwegion Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) has established an international network consisting of several research institutes, centers and think tanks, to jointly conduct research into the effectiveness of peace operations. The teams undertaking the studies are multidisciplinary and gender balanced with special emphasis on participation by actors in the Global South. Research teams overseen by external reference groups have been set up for Mali, Somali and the DR Congo. Prof Thomas Mandrup from the Security Institute for Governance and Leadership (SIGLA @ Stellenbosch) forms part of the research team on the DRC and works within a 5 person team focussing on the volatile Goma region in the east of the DRC.