President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo requested that his government expedite the withdrawal of a United Nations peacekeeping operation so that it could start by the end of the year, he said on Wednesday at the U.N. General Assembly.
To assist in reducing insecurity in the eastern region of Central Africa, where armed groups battle for control of territory and resources, the mission, known as MONUSCO, took over from a previous U.N. operation in 2010.
However, its presence has been under fire recently for what opponents claim is a failure to protect civilians from militia groups, resulting in fatal protests.
Tshisekedi addressed the congress, saying, “It is to be regretted that peacekeeping missions deployed for 25 years… have failed to deal with the rebellions and armed conflicts.”
“This is why… I instructed the Government of the Republic to start discussions with the U.N. authorities for an accelerated withdrawal of MONUSCO… by bringing forward the beginning of this progressive withdrawal from December 2024 to December 2023,” he stated.
Last month, an army crackdown on violent anti-U.N. protests in the eastern city of Goma resulted in the deaths of over 40 people and the injury of several others. A second protest in July 2022 killed more than 15 people, including three peacekeepers in Butembo and Goma.
