2023-06-10 07:15:10
The end of the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monusco) is recorded. The United Nations Under-Secretary General in charge of peacekeeping operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, visited the DRC from June 3 to 7 to raise the subject with the Congolese authorities. “ This departure is not a taboo. On the contrary, we explain on the side of the UN mission. On June 7, during a press conferenceJean-Pierre Lacroix himself confided that the UN is studying how to withdraw Monusco ” as quickly as possible “.
Created in 1999 to ensure the protection of civilians, humanitarians, personnel responsible for defending human rights and to support the government in its efforts to consolidate peace, this mission mobilizes around 17,000 people for an annual budget of ‘1.123 billion dollars (1.43 billion euros). But the results are not commensurate with the efforts made by the international community and the legitimate expectations of the populations.
In eastern DRC where this force is massively deployed, the situation is indeed, 24 years after its creation, catastrophic. Twelve civilians were still killed Thursday evening June 8, in a new village attack attributed to the ADF, rebels affiliated with the Islamic State group. More than 120 armed groups are still operating in this region, much to the detriment of civilians.
A result that generates its rejection by part of the population. At the end of July 2022, several violent demonstrations had taken place to demand his departure, causing the death of 36 people, including four peacekeepers according to an official report. Taken to task, Monusco had opened fire against the demonstrators, as in Kasindi, on the Ugandan border. A few days later, the Congolese government expelled the spokesperson for the UN mission, Mathias Gillmann.
A desired departure for January 1, 2024
Since then, relations between Kinshasa and Monusco have continued to grow tense. Voices in high places have openly called for the departure of the Blue Helmets whom they suspect or accuse of being accomplices of the M23this rebellion supported by Rwanda which took up arms again in March 2022. This rebellion concentrates all the anger of Kinshasa.
Ahead of the anti-Monusco demonstrations at the end of July, Modeste Bahati Lukwebo, the President of the Senate, one of the three main figures of the State, had thus called on the UN mission to “packing up”. Alongside the work of the 77e General Assembly of the United Nations, Felix Tshisekedi, himself clearly expressed himself in this sense in September: ” There is no precise deadline yet, but I think Monusco will leave before 2024»he told the international press.
“There is frustration among part of the population (…), because the security situation is still worrying”recognized Jean-Pierre Lacroix himself, on June 7. “But there are also manipulations, “fake news” (…), because not everyone has an interest in the return of peace”he added, alluding to the murky games of Congolese politicians, soldiers and officials who take advantage of the fog of war to consolidate their power, control mineral resources and divert public funds for their own benefit.
And finally, there are hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the East “almost exclusively protected” by blue helmets. According to Jean-Pierre Lacroix, a “safe vacuum” theirs would be « fatal ». This is why the boss of the Blue Helmets wants the withdrawal of Monusco to be done in a “gradual and responsible “. But without giving the date. According Africa intelligence, the Congolese authorities would have asked him to begin this withdrawal as of January 1, 2024.
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