DR Congo asks UN force to start leaving this year

UNITED NATIONS, New York

Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi has called for a speedier withdrawal of the UN force in his country to begin this year.

He told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that he had instructed his government to begin talks with the UN to bring forward “the start of this progressive withdrawal from December 2024 to December 2023”.

Mr Tshisekedi said the mission - known by the acronym Monusco - had failed to bring peace in the country despite being there for about 25 years, adding that it was "illusory and counterproductive to continue to cling” to the force to maintain peace.

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"It is time for our country to take full control of its destiny and become the main actor in its own stability,” he told his audience in New York.

Monusco has almost 18,000 personnel in the country, including more than 12,000 soldiers, making it the second-largest UN mission globally.

But it has become increasingly unpopular in recent years and has faced several protests since last year.

Protesters accuse them of failing to protect civilians against decades of attacks from the many rebels that operate in the mineral-rich east of the country.

Elections are due to be held in DR Congo in late December. Prompted by the anti-UN protests, it was agreed that the force would begin its withdrawal the following month.

Last year, an East African force was deployed to eastern DR Congo to aid the Congolese military quell fighting there - though it too has faced criticism.