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Join on Telegram Rabat – The UN is withdrawing its troops from Butembo, in DR Congo, after a series of deadly anti-UN protests which claimed the lives of two Moroccan peacekeepers.
The city in North Kivu, where on July 26 a Moroccan soldier was shot while on a routine patrol, will see the temporary withdrawal of the local peacekeeping mission, after several violent protests against the local mission, according to Reuters.
The local peacekeeping mission, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), has faced local opposition after more than two decades of continued instability and violence following the official conclusion of the Congolese civil war.
MONUSCO was established to monitor local combatants and preserve the peace after the conflict which, having claimed 6 million lives, is the world’s deadliest conflict since World War 2. However, locals are now protesting the UN mission as they feel it has failed to control prevalent violence in the tumultuous region.
A recent report by the New Humanitarian quoted local activist William Mbokani as stating: “For nearly 25 years, we have kept renewing the mandate of a mission that is struggling to do its job.”
Meanwhile, Butembo-native Jean-Pierre Kasereka Maghetsi claimed local peacekeepers have shot at civilians and failed to stop the latest rebellion by armed group M23, which has captured parts of the region despite the UN presence.
Violent protests against the UN mission erupted in the past months, killing four peacekeepers, including two Moroccan soldiers. Ever since, the UN has lamented “growing insecurity in Butembo,” seen its spokesperson expelled by the DRC government, and now has withdrawn its forces from Butembo, one of the epicenters of anti-UN protests.
MONUSCO’s mandate is set to conclude in 2024, yet the ongoing violence and domestic political resistance to the UN mission are likely to accelerate its departure, even as armed conflict continues to plague the region.
