KINSHASA: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said the body\u2019s mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo is entering its \u201cfinal phase,\u201d but warned the situation in the conflict-hit country has \u201cdeteriorated sharply.\u201d
\nIn a report addressed to the UN Security Council, Guterres delivered a stark assessment of the turmoil in the DRC and set out a plan for the \u201caccelerated and responsible withdrawal\u201d of the UN\u2019s MONUSCO mission after almost 25 years in the country.
\nThe 15-page document published on Thursday pointed to heightened regional tensions and a worsening humanitarian situation over the last year, with \u201chundreds of thousands of civilians being forcibly displaced.\u201d
\n\u201cSexual violence against children more than doubled from 2021 to 2022,\u201d the report added.
\nIt said that in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, the two areas worst affected by the violence, 28 and 39 percent of the population are displaced respectively \u2014 around four million people.
\nAt the heart of these conflicts is the resurgence of the M23 rebel group, which has \u201cseized large swathes\u201d of territory, it said.
\nThe rebels have \u201cestablished parallel, illegal administrations\u201d and carried out \u201carbitrary arrests and extrajudicial executions,\u201d the report said.
\nThe document made no mention of Rwandan troops being present alongside the M23 on Congolese soil, contrary to recent reports by the UN Group of Experts on the DRC that led many countries to condemn Rwanda for its involvement in the conflict.
\nThe final departure of the UN mission has been at the heart of debates on the DRC\u2019s future for years, and is a source of tension and populist rhetoric in the country.
\n\u201cMONUSCO continues to be a focus of popular discontent and frustration over its perceived inaction,\u201d Guterres said.
\nIn line with the stated wishes of the DRC\u2019s government, the UN reaffirmed its willingness to pull MONUSCO out, but warned \u201ca premature withdrawal… would have consequences for the civilians relying on the Mission for their protection and safety.\u201d
\nIn September 2022, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi told France 24 he believed there would be no reason for MONUSCO to remain beyond the December 2023 presidential election, when he is standing for re-election.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KINSHASA: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said the body\u2019s mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo is entering its \u201cfinal phase,\u201d but warned the situation in the conflict-hit country has \u201cdeteriorated sharply.\u201d In a report addressed to the UN Security Council, Guterres delivered a stark assessment of the turmoil in the DRC and set out […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":348840,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-348836","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n