MONUSCO leaving DRC, or just the usual drama?

Author: Samson Kasujja

• 2023-08-24 05:30:00

The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has confirmed that the United Nations peacekeepers stationed in the Democratic Republic of Congo are set to withdraw, marking the conclusion of the peacekeeping mission, initially deployed 25 years ago to stabilize the country.

In a leaked report to the UN Security Council, Guterres stated that MONUSCO’s departure is imminent.

Established in 2000 as the Mission de l'Organisation des Nations Unies en République Démocratique du Congo (MONUC), their mandate was to protect civilians. In 2010, the mission was renamed MONUSCO. Currently, 12,800 of the original 20,000 troops are still deployed and costs about $1 billion (€910 million) a year. MONUSCO, and its predecessor, MONUC, have operated in DRC since 1999. It is the most expensive peace operation in UN history.

But more than two decades later, operating in volatile eastern DRC, the mission has brought no positive change.

The peacekeepers consistently failed the Congolese population. In their presence, foreign and local armed groups in DRC increased from about five to more than 260. Many of these groups receive support from the Congolese national army and political leaders, with MONUSCO’s knowledge.

The Mission’s mandate was extended in December 2022, by a year, “on exceptional basis” of its intervention brigade. The mission has been controversial, eliciting protests in parts of eastern DRC where it operates.

Once they leave, if they ever really will, they will leave behind a legacy of failure and corruption.

But it is doubtful that the mission will leave DRC.

Its personnel are shielding the Westerners who are exploiting DRC’s mineral resources. Once the mission leaves, there will be no more masks for those exploiters in the country’s mining sector.

Guterres said that MONUSCO is “entering its final phase” in the DRC; and the mission will have to begin an accelerated withdrawal, even though the security and humanitarian situations are deteriorating sharply.

The UN Secretary-General warned that “a premature departure of MONUSCO” could have consequences for the protection of civilians. With this statement, it is clearly seen that Guterres wants Kinshasa to request the mission to stay in the region, hence extend its mandate again.

Following the protests of the Congolese population against MONUSCO, President Félix Tshisekedi said that “after the presidential election in December 2023, there will be no reason for the mission to remain in the DRC.”

On the other hand, there is uncertainty on whether the elections will be held as scheduled, because Tshisekedi fears to lose.

There are chances he will delay the elections so that he can get enough time to steal votes.

Whether they leave, or stay, however, MONUSCO is not there to serve the interests of the Congolese population. It only serves Western imperialists pretending to restore peace and security in eastern DRC while pillaging its resources.

The UN Mission has often declared that it does not have the necessary capacity to defeat the armed groups. After more than 20 years, it is inconceivable that it remains in the country especially when it itself admits that it is incapable of facing up to groups like Rwanda’s FDLR and Uganda’s ADF.

If MONUSCO had really wanted to improve its image, it should have started by listening to the population’s genuine grievances.

If the UN mission really wanted to end the violence, given its vast means, it would already have done so. But it never really planned to do so in the first place.