KINSHASA – About 2,000 UN troops will leave the restive eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the end of April in the first phase of a planned withdrawal of the peacekeeping mission from the country, the head of the mission said on Saturday.
The UN Security Council approved the end of the mission in December following Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi’s request in September for an expedited withdrawal of peacekeeping troops.
The currently 13,500-strong force, known as MONUSCO, took over from an earlier UN operation in 2010 to help quell insecurity in the east of the central African country, where armed groups are fighting for territory and resources.
But its presence has become increasingly unpopular in recent years as critics say it has failed to protect civilians from militia groups, sparking deadly protests.
“We have a ceiling of 13,500 troops approved by the Security Council, by April 30, when the drawdown begins, we will reach 11,500,” Bintou Keita, the head of the mission, said at a joint news conference with government officials.
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The first of three phases of withdrawal will begin in South Kivu province, she said, adding that 14 UN bases in the province will be taken over by Congolese security forces.
UN peacekeepers will later withdraw from North Kivu and Ituri provinces in further stages.
Congolese Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula told a news conference in the capital Kinshasa that the remaining UN forces were expected to be out of the country by December 31.
“The withdrawal of MONUSCO does not necessarily mean the end of the fight we are waging to protect our country’s territorial interests, we must continue the fight,” Lutundula said.
More than 7 million people have been displaced by the conflicts in Congo, mostly in the three eastern provinces, where myriad armed groups continue to operate.
