NEW YORK: The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo has called for an immediate withdrawal of a key UN peacekeeping mission that has been in the African state for almost 25 years., Western media reported on Thursday.
Felix Tshisekedi addressing the United Nations General Assembly said that the time has come for Congo to take full control of its destiny and become the main actor in its own stability.
MONUSCO mission withdrawal
The final exit of the MONUSCO mission has been at the heart of discussions on the DRC’s future for years, and a source of strain and general rhetoric in the central African nation.
Tshisekedi added that the mission of some 15,000 troops has not been able to effectively fight rebellions and armed conflicts nor it could protect the civilians.
The Security Council in in 2020 approved a phased withdrawal of peace mission in DR Congo and set grounds for transferring the responsibilities of UN troops to Congolese forces.
Despite the fact that the withdrawal of troops was to begin in December 2024, DR Congo in September asked the Security Council to start the process in December this year.
Tshisekedi in his remarks said it was illusory and counterproductive to continue with the MONUSCO to bring peace in the country.
The United States has warned at a Security Council meeting in June against a swift withdrawal of the mission, judging that the country was not ready to control the unrest by its own resources without the support of the UN.
The DRC’s east has been stormed by militia violence for three decades and regional conflicts that flared in the 1990s and 2000s.
The UN peacekeeping mission arrived in the country 1999 and has been s one of the largest and costliest in the world, with an annual budget of nearly $1 billion.
