UN urges Rwanda to leave eastern Congo, extends peacekeeping mission for a year

U.N. Security Council Resolution on Eastern Congo

The United Nations Security Council has called for the withdrawal of Rwandan forces from eastern Congo and has extended the mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, MONUSCO, by one year, amidst ongoing conflict in the region.

On Friday, the Security Council condemned the offensive by the Rwanda-supported group, M23, and demanded that Rwanda cease its support for the rebels and withdraw its troops. This resolution, adopted unanimously, renews the peacekeeping mission's mandate, maintaining approximately 11,500 military personnel in the region.

Following pressure from the United States, M23 claimed to have withdrawn from Uvira, a strategic location in eastern Congo, which it had captured the previous week. However, the Congolese government reported that the withdrawal was merely "staged" and that the rebels remain in the city.

Jennifer Locetta, U.S. deputy ambassador, stated that M23 must withdraw at least 75 kilometers (47 miles) from Uvira. The group had seized control of the city despite a U.S.-mediated peace agreement signed by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents earlier in the month.

The peace accord, which was not inclusive of M23, obliges Rwanda to cease support for armed groups like M23 and to work towards ending hostilities. Both sides have accused each other of violating a ceasefire agreed upon earlier in the year.

U.N. experts and officials from the United States and Congo accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which has expanded from hundreds of members in 2021 to approximately 6,500 fighters. The conflict in mineral-rich eastern Congo has resulted in significant humanitarian challenges, with over 7 million people displaced, as reported by the U.N. agency for refugees.

MONUSCO was established in 2010, succeeding an earlier U.N. mission, with the aim of protecting civilians and humanitarian workers, as well as supporting the Congolese government in stabilization and peace efforts. However, dissatisfaction among Congolese citizens regarding protection from rebel attacks has led to protests against the U.N. mission.

In 2023, at the request of the Congolese government, the U.N. Security Council unanimously agreed to gradually reduce the peacekeeping force and transfer security responsibilities to the Congolese authorities.

Based on reporting by Africanews.