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DRC, UN sign Monusco withdrawal plan

Author: Chany Ninrew | Published: November 24, 2023

Monusco peacekeepers in DR Congo. (Courtesy).

The DR Congo government and the UN’s Monusco peacekeeping mission have signed withdrawal plan for the peacekeeping troops from the country, the UN body said in a statement without mentioning when the troops will depart.

In a statement, the peacekeeping mission said that it had “co-signed a note on the accelerated, gradual, orderly and responsible withdrawal” from the country, according to French news agency AFP.

The agreement reportedly contains a plan and timeline for the withdrawal, but offered few details beyond saying that it will be implemented in three phases.

The UN mission has 14,000-strong peacekeeping troops in the DRC – with presence dating back to 1999.

But Monusco has since faced sharp criticism from the Congolese public over alleged failure to contain the decades-old violence caused by militia groups that have continued to plague the east of the country.

In September 2023, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi asked for an accelerated withdrawal of a United Nations Peacekeeping Mission, just weeks after 43 civilians were killed during demonstrations against the UN mission.

 

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