UN to withdraw 15,000 peacekeepers in DR Congo after deal reached

By Adama Makasuba

The United Nations and DR Congo have agreed to withdraw 15,000 UN peacekeepers, and the foreign minister and head of the United Nations stabilization mission in Congo, Christophe Lutundula, signed the deal.

The deal came after President Felix Tshisekedi accelerated the call in October to withdraw the UN peacekeepers from Congo. Speaking on national television, Lutundula said the agreement marked the end of a collaboration “which has proved its limits in a context of permanent war, without the longing for peace being restored to eastern Congo.”

Violence in eastern Congo

Eastern Congo is in the grip of a decades-long conflict fought by dozens of armed groups, some backed by DRC’s neighbors. The competition has taken center stage, with presidential and parliamentary elections coming on December 20. 

In September, incumbent President Félix Tshisekedi called for an accelerated withdrawal of the UN peacekeepers. The UN mission in the region has often caused tensions amongst the local population, with protests against MONUSCO and others turning deadly. At the end of August, a crackdown by Congolese troops on anti-UN demonstrations resulted in nearly 50 deaths. 

Failed missions

With the Congolese frustrated at what they felt to be a lack of protection from the rebel groups, the Congolese government directed the East African regional force to leave the country by December last month. The staff, composed of troops from Burundi, Kenya, South Sudan, and Uganda, has been deployed since late 2022 to help end the fighting. The government alleges a “lack of satisfactory results on the ground”.

The withdrawal of MONUSCO’s forces was not given a firm timeline in Tuesday’s announcement, with observers saying that any acceleration is unlikely before the end of the current election cycle.