“It is illusory and counterproductive to rely on MONUSCO to restore peace and stability,” says the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo before the United Nations General Assembly.
The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo has called for an accelerated withdrawal of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) from his country. The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has been deployed in eastern DRC since 1999.
In his speech on Wednesday during the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Félix Tshisekedi expressed frustration with the mission’s lack of effectiveness in combating violence. “It is time for the DRC to become the primary actor in its own stability. Relying on MONUSCO to restore peace and stability is illusory and counterproductive. Its withdrawal has become necessary to ease tensions between the population and the mission,” he stated.
Recent protests have erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo against the UN peacekeeping force, which is accused of failing to curb violence committed by multiple armed groups.
On August 30, more than 50 people were killed in the city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, after the military intervened to disperse members of a religious sect called the Natural Judaic and Messianic Faith Towards the Nations, who had gathered to protest the presence of the UN peacekeeping force in the country.
Thousands of people live in camps in the two provinces most affected by the conflict, North Kivu and Ituri.
