UPDATE 1-United Nations extends Congo peacekeeping mission

*

DRC government asked for renewal of U.N. peacekeeping mission

*

U.S. frustrated Security Council not specifically calling out Rwandan M23 support

*

Rwanda denies backing M23

(Adds Congo comment in paragraph 3, U.S. comment in paragraphs 11-12)

By Michelle Nichols and Sonia Rolley

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 20 (Reuters) – The United Nations Security Council voted to extend the mandate for a long-running U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo for another year on Friday, further delaying an agreed withdrawal from conflict-torn eastern provinces.

The Congolese government has previously pushed for the force – known as MONUSCO – to leave, but a note to the Security Council by Congo’s mission to the United Nations in New York shows that Kinshasa asked for the operation to be renewed.

“My government is in favor of a robust posture of the MONUSCO Force,” the mission wrote in the note – titled a “vision for MONUSCO withdrawal and the renewal of its mandate” – which was seen by Reuters.

The renewal means nearly 11,000 peacekeepers will continue their deployment until at least December 2025, remaining a key part of security operations in mineral-rich eastern Congo, where many rebel groups fight over territory and resources.

After withdrawing from South Kivu province, MONUSCO’s planned departure from North Kivu and Ituri was paused in July. At the time, Congo said security conditions did not allow for it, blaming the presence of Rwandan troops in Congo in support of the M23 rebel insurgency. Rwanda denies backing M23.

The U.N. resolution “condemns support by any external party to M23 and any other armed group operating in the DRC, as well as direct unauthorized foreign military intervention in the territory of the DRC, and demands the cessation of such support and the immediate withdrawal of any such party from the DRC.”

Ahead of the vote, deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood was frustrated that “many council members are not willing to” specifically call out Rwanda.

“If we don’t call them out for the activities that they’re engaging in this is just going to give them carte blanche to continue to do what they’re doing,” he told reporters late on Thursday. “Their support for the M23 is … unacceptable and the council needs to take a firm stand on this.”

The U.N. mission currently deploys 10,960 peacekeepers and 1,750 civilians in Congo, mostly in the east. In 2023, President Felix Tshisekedi called for their departure to be fast-tracked, accusing them of failing in their mission to keep the peace.

Their presence had become increasingly unpopular and even sparked deadly protests over a perception among some eastern residents that they have not sufficiently protected civilians from militia violence.

The note to the Security Council from Congo’s U.N. mission said a plan for an orderly withdrawal should still be under discussion, which would “gradually refocus MONUSCO’s presence in the most volatile areas”. (Additional reporting by Justin Makangara and Alessandra Prentice; editing by Susan Heavey and Alex Richardson)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. Click For Restrictions – https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html