The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monusco) began, this Wednesday, the withdrawal from the country, demanded by Kinshasa, which considered it ineffective, reported the news agency France-Presse (AFP)
After 25 years of presence in the country, the UN Security Council decided, in December, to withdraw peacekeeping forces, despite concerns regarding the escalation of violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
MONUSCO, which currently has around 15 thousand soldiers, continues to be present in the three most problematic provinces, South Kivu, North Kivu and Ituri.
For an “orderly, responsible and sustainable” withdrawal, a three-phase plan was adopted. By April 30th, the military and police will withdraw from South Kivu and by June 30th it will be the civil component’s turn.
Before May, the UN force is expected to abandon the 14 bases in the province and hand them over to Congolese security forces. The Kamanyola base, close to the borders with Burundi and Rwanda, is the first to be handed over to the DRC Police.
After South Kivu, the following phases, in Ituri and North Kivu, will begin following evaluations of the process.
In January, the country’s Foreign Minister, Christophe Lutundula, expressed his desire for the withdrawal to be completed by the end of the year. The Security Council did not set any deadline.
