The UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have mutually agreed on a progressive, responsible, and honorable withdrawal of the MONUSCO from the DRC, according to a statement made on Saturday. The announcement was made by Bintou Keita, head of MONUSCO, at a press conference held in Kinshasa.
Keita stated the disengagement plan includes “three distinct and successive phases and the gradual handover of responsibility” to the Congolese government. The disengagement, clarified in UN Security Council Resolution 2717 (2023), potentially wraps up over two decades of UN peacekeeping operations in the DRC.
- Phase 1 starts with the full withdrawal of MONUSCO military and police personnel from South Kivu, scheduled to complete by the end of April 2024.
- Phases 2 and 3 will see personnel withdrawal from North Kivu and Ituri, respectively.
MONUSCO took over in 2010 the functions of the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), initially established in 1999 to observe and monitor a ceasefire in the DRC. Since then, MONUSCO has assisted the DRC in its fights against rebel forces, protection of civilians, and the restoration of peace.
The decision to withdraw followed a request from the DRC government, which itself came to power after a controversial vote in January 2024.
Still, DRC’s Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula has stated that “the withdrawal of MONUSCO does not necessarily mean the end of the fight we are undertaking to protect the territorial interests of our country, we must continue to struggle.”
As of June 2023, internal conflicts with rebel groups, such as the March 23 Movement (M23), have spurred an escalation of fighting and displaced more than 6.1 million people in the DRC.
This article first appeared on JURIST.