The United Nations Security Council has issued a direct call for Rwanda to withdraw its military forces from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In a significant move, the council also voted to extend the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, known as MONUSCO, for a further twelve months.
Unanimous Condemnation and Renewed Mandate
In a resolution adopted unanimously on Friday, the UN's most powerful body condemned a major offensive by the M23 rebel group, which is backed by Rwanda. The council demanded that Rwanda immediately cease all support for the rebels and pull its troops out of Congolese territory. Concurrently, it renewed the peacekeeping mandate, maintaining approximately 11,500 military personnel in the region to protect civilians and support government stabilisation efforts.
This decisive action comes despite a US-mediated peace agreement signed earlier this month by the presidents of the DRC and Rwanda in Washington. That accord, which did not include the M23 group, obligated Rwanda to halt support for armed factions and work towards ending hostilities.
Staged Withdrawal and Continued Tensions
The resolution follows a claim by M23 on Wednesday that it had withdrawn from Uvira, a strategic city in eastern Congo it seized last week in a deadly offensive. This move came after pressure from the United States. However, the Congolese government has dismissed the pullback as "staged," asserting that rebel fighters remain within the city.
Echoing these concerns, US deputy ambassador Jennifer Locetta told the Security Council that M23 must immediately retreat at least 75 kilometres (47 miles) from Uvira. The seizure of the city marked a severe violation of the recent Washington accord and highlighted the fragile nature of the ceasefire, which both sides accuse the other of violating.
A Deepening Humanitarian Catastrophe
The ongoing conflict, fuelled by over 100 armed groups vying for control of the mineral-rich region, has spawned one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises. According to UN agencies, more than 7 million people have been displaced by the violence. The M23 group alone has seen its ranks swell from a few hundred members in 2021 to an estimated 6,500 fighters today, a growth the UN and Western nations attribute to Rwandan support.
The MONUSCO force, which arrived in 2010, faces profound challenges. While its mandate is to protect civilians and aid humanitarian workers, many frustrated Congolese citizens protest that the mission has failed to shield them from rebel attacks, leading to sometimes deadly demonstrations. In 2023, responding to a request from Congo, the Security Council initiated a phased drawdown of the force, planning a gradual handover of security duties to the national government.
The unanimous vote to extend MONUSCO's mandate for another year underscores the international community's grave concern that security conditions are not yet stable enough for a full withdrawal, leaving the future of eastern Congo hanging in the balance.
