UN has set a December deadline for peacekeepers to depart from Congo

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will complete its withdrawal from the country by the end of 2024, according to an announcement made by the mission on Saturday.

The withdrawal will be carried out in three phases, starting with the departure of 2,000 security personnel from the South Kivu province by the end of April.

The forces in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces will follow suit. Bintou Keita, the head of the mission known as MONUSCO, stated that after 25 years of presence, MONUSCO will definitively leave the DRC by the end of 2024. However, she emphasized that the end of the mission does not mean the end of the United Nations’ involvement in the country.

The United Nations and Congolese officials have collaborated to develop a disengagement plan for the gradual transfer of tasks from MONUSCO to the Congolese government.

The MONUSCO force was deployed in 2010 to protect civilians, humanitarian personnel, and support the Congolese government in its stabilization and peace consolidation efforts. However, there have been criticisms from frustrated Congolese who feel that they are not adequately protected from rebel attacks.

The ongoing violence in eastern Congo, fueled by armed groups vying for control of the region’s resources, has resulted in mass killings and the displacement of millions of people.