DRC and UN sign peacekeeper withdrawal plan
The note contains a plan and timeline for the withdrawal, but the peacekeeping mission offered few details beyond saying that it will be implemented in three phases.
A UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) current strength is 14,000-strong peacekeeping force is deeply unpopular due to perceptions that it has done little to stop violence. / Photo: Reuters Archive
The UN peacekeeping mission in Democratic Republic of Congo says that it had signed a withdrawal plan for its troops in the central African nation, without offering details about a timeline.
In a statement, the peacekeeping mission, known as Monusco, said on Wednesday that it had "co-signed a note on the accelerated, gradual, orderly and responsible withdrawal" from the country.
Monusco is one of the world's largest and costliest UN peacekeeping missions, with an annual budget of around $1B.
Peacekeepers have been present in the DRC since 1999 but militia violence has continued to plague the east of the country.
Dozens of armed groups are active in eastern DRC, a legacy of regional wars that flared in the 1990s and 2000s.
Monusco's current 14,000-strong peacekeeping force is deeply unpopular due to perceptions that it has done little to stop violence.
The Congolese government has requested Monusco's "accelerated" departure.
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