DRC: UN mission that ‘proved its limits in ‘permanent war’ is to withdraw peacekeepers

After more than a two-decade presence, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), MONUSCO is set to withdraw its 15,000 peacekeepers from the Central African nation, based on a deal signed by MONUSCO’s head and DRC foreign minister on Tuesday (22 November).

The country’s Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula said on the national television that the deal marked the end of a collaboration “which has proved its limits in a context of permanent war, without the longed-for peace being restored to eastern Congo.”

Eastern Congo has been in the grip of a decades-long conflict fought by dozens of armed groups, some backed by DRC’s neighbors. With the campaign for the presidential and parliamentary elections on December 20 in full swing, the conflict has taken center stage. Seeking another term in office, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi launched his campaign with a fiery speech accusing neighboring Rwanda of destabilizing eastern parts of the country.

In a speech to the UN General Assembly in September, Tshisekedi called for an accelerated withdrawal of the 15,000 peacekeepers. Later in November, he told Congress that “the phased withdrawal of the UN mission must be responsible and sustainable.”

The presence of over a hundred armed groups engaging in multiple conflicts over territorial and resource control has continued to create instability in the Central African country in 2023. The UN mission in the region has often caused tensions amongst the local population, with protests against MONUSCO and others at times turning deadly. At the end of August, a crackdown by Congolese troops on anti-UN demonstrations resulted in nearly 50 deaths. While no firm timeline has been announced, observers say it is unlikely to accelerate the withdrawal before the current election cycle is completed.