The UN Security Council is set to agree on Tuesday to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) demand for the gradual withdrawal of peacekeepers, starting later this month. This decision comes despite the UN’s concerns about violence in the eastern part of the country.
The withdrawal is scheduled to commence at the end of the month, coinciding with high-risk presidential and parliamentary elections in the DR Congo. The country has been calling for an accelerated withdrawal of UN peacekeepers, arguing that the force is ineffective in protecting civilians from armed groups and militias in the eastern part of the country.
While some Council members, including the United States, have expressed doubts about the readiness of Congolese forces to replace the UN mission, the DRC government has been adamant about an early withdrawal.
The Council is expected to express its concern over the escalation of violence in the east and tensions between Rwanda and the DRC in the draft resolution. The resolution will initiate the “gradual, responsible, and sustainable withdrawal” of the mission in line with a plan agreed upon in November between Kinshasa and the UN mission known as MONUSCO.
The first phase of the withdrawal includes pulling peacekeepers from South Kivu province by the end of April 2024, starting before the end of 2023. From May 2024, MONUSCO will be present only in North Kivu and Ituri, with a reduction of about 2,350 personnel by July 1, 2024, from a maximum authorised strength of around 13,800.
The council will evaluate the first phase, and further withdrawal decisions will be based on an assessment report expected by the end of June 2024. The UN has maintained a peacekeeping force in the DRC since 1999, and the Security Council has been gradually disengaging in recent years, with a plan to transfer responsibilities to Congolese forces and begin withdrawing by 2024. The resolution also calls for calm and dialogue between the DRC and Rwanda, condemning support from external parties for armed groups and urging their withdrawal from Congolese territory.