East African Gazette
Kinshasha
The United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic has announced it plans to withdraw its troops in the war-torn area by the end of the year.
The troops have been in Eastern Congo conflict area for more than two decades.
The DRC government has always pleaded to the UN troops not to leave the country.
According to the UN their forces will move in a three-phased withdrawal of the 15,000-force starting with those in South Kivu province where 2,000 security personnel will leave by the end of April in the first phase,
The Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Head of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), Bintou Keita revealed this while briefing the journalists in the DRC capital Kinshasa.
“After 25 years of presence, MONUSCO will definitely leave the DRC no later than the end of 2024,” Keita noted.
However, he stressed that the end of the mission will not be “the end of the United Nations” in the country.
The DRC Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula said the UN and the government officials worked together to produce a disengagement plan for a progressive, responsible, honorable and exemplary withdrawal of MONUSCO.
“The gradual transfer of tasks from MONUSCO to the Congolese government is a welcome idea,” he said.
The MONUSCO forces arrived in Congo in 2010 after taking over from an earlier UN peacekeeping mission to protect civilians and humanitarian personnel, and to support the Congolese government in its stabilization and peace consolidation efforts.
Despite of the years of the peacekeeping mission, many Congolese nationals feel they are not protected despite the presence of troops.
Over the years of its existence, the Eastern part DRC continues to be ravaged by more than 120 armed groups seeking a share of the region’s resources such as gold and trying to protect their communities, some of them allegedly quietly backed by DRC neighbors.
The violence has repeatedly on various occasions led rampant mass killings and displacement of nationals estimated to about 7million.
Last year DRC held its elections and President Felix Tshisekedi was declared the winner amidst contest from other candidates.