The move comes amid escalating fighting in the region, despite a US-mediated peace deal signed earlier this month…reports Asian Lite News
The UN Security Council has urged Rwanda to pull its forces out of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and demanded an end to support for the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, while extending the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country for a further year. The decision was taken as violence intensified in the region, raising doubts about the durability of a recent US-brokered peace agreement between the Congolese and Rwandan governments.
In a unanimously adopted resolution on Friday, the council condemned a recent offensive by M23 and called on Rwanda to withdraw its troops from Congolese territory. The resolution also renewed the mandate of the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, known as MONUSCO, keeping around 11,500 military personnel deployed in the country until next year.
The vote came amid conflicting claims over the situation in the strategic eastern city of Uvira. M23 said on Wednesday that it had withdrawn from the city, which it seized last week following a deadly offensive. The Congolese government rejected the claim, describing the pullback as “staged” and insisting that rebel fighters remained present in the area.
Addressing the Security Council on Friday, the US deputy ambassador said M23 must immediately withdraw at least 75 kilometres from Uvira. The call followed mounting international pressure on the group after its advance appeared to defy a peace accord signed earlier this month in Washington by the presidents of Congo and Rwanda.
That agreement, mediated by the United States, was intended to reduce tensions between the two neighbouring countries and ease fighting in eastern Congo. However, the deal did not include M23, which has been holding separate negotiations with the Congolese government. Earlier this year, the rebels agreed to a ceasefire, but both sides have since accused each other of repeated violations.
Under the terms of the Washington accord, Rwanda committed to halting any support for armed groups operating in eastern Congo, including M23, and to work towards ending hostilities in the region. Congo, the United States and UN experts have repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing the rebel movement, an allegation Kigali has denied.
According to the United Nations, M23 has expanded significantly in recent years, growing from several hundred fighters in 2021 to an estimated 6,500 combatants. The group is one of more than 100 armed organisations competing for territory and influence in eastern Congo, a region rich in valuable minerals and located along the volatile border with Rwanda.
The long-running conflict in the east of the country has contributed to one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. The UN refugee agency estimates that more than 7 million people have been displaced by violence, with civilians frequently caught between rival militias and government forces. Access to food, healthcare and basic services has been severely disrupted in many areas.
MONUSCO has been operating in Congo since 2010, when it took over from an earlier UN peacekeeping mission. Its mandate includes protecting civilians and humanitarian workers, as well as supporting the Congolese authorities in efforts to stabilise the country and consolidate peace. Over the years, it has become one of the UN’s largest and most expensive peacekeeping operations.
Despite its presence, frustration has grown among many Congolese communities, who argue that the mission has failed to prevent attacks by armed groups. Protests against MONUSCO and other international forces have periodically erupted, sometimes turning violent and resulting in deaths.
In response to these concerns, the Congolese government asked in 2023 for a gradual drawdown of the UN force. The Security Council subsequently voted unanimously to begin reducing MONUSCO’s presence and to progressively transfer security responsibilities to national authorities. Friday’s resolution continues that process while maintaining the mission’s core role as fighting in the east shows little sign of abating.
