UN express reservations over proposed withdrawal of peacekeepers from DRC

GOOBJOOG NEWS: Members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) have expressed reservations over the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) call to accelerate the withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces.

Last week, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi called on the UN to speed up the pullout of the Monusco peacekeeping mission that has been in the country for nearly 25 years.

He urged the pullout to begin by the end of this year, rather than December 2024 as planned.

The Security Council needs to renew the mandate for Monusco in December, with Kinshasa expressing doubts the force has been effective in protecting civilians from decades of militia violence.

With the security situation still very dangerous in the eastern part of the country, some UNSC members have expressed doubts about the advisability of accelerating the handover of peacekeeping to the Congolese military.

“The US is frankly concerned that DRC and regional security forces are not prepared to meet the security requirements of the Congolese people,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN.

Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs Christophe Lutundula criticised their “fixed” positions, warning against any temptation by the council to just reconfigure Monusco without a withdrawal.

• Source – AFP