Democratic Republic of the Congo

The withdrawal of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) must not create security vacuums and jeopardize the protection of civilians, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, as speakers called for a gradual, responsible and conditions-based transition.

A senior UN official warned the Security Council on Monday that the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has continued to deteriorate over the past three months, despite a lull in fighting between M23 rebels and the national army (FARDC). 

The United Nations has again accused Rwanda of offering support to the M23 rebel group that is fighting the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government.

At least 46 people, half of them children, were killed in a militia attack on a camp for displaced people in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where civilians are suffering increasing violence.

A top UN official said Wednesday, during a visit to DR Congo, that peacekeepers should withdraw from the conflict-torn central African country “as quickly as possible” yet responsibly. Addressing reporters in the capital Kinshasa, UN Under-Secretary-General for peacekeeping operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, also warned that the Congolese state had to step up its own response to armed groups to avoid creating a “security void that would be fatal.”

Rwanda wants the M23 rebel group to be part of the dialogue to restore peace in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a proposal that could potentially kick up a storm in Kinshasa.

A regional force set up to tackle militia violence in East Democratic Republic of Congo has been extended to September, a minister and a spokesperson for the force said on Wednesday.

Last Thursday, during the Council of Ministers, the new Minister of Defense and ex-warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba declared that the Rwandan army and the M23 were strengthening their positions "in anticipation of a general offensive" with the objective " the occupation" of Goma.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Tuesday made another formal referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to ensure the court will focus on what it calls the systematic pillaging of its natural resources in eastern Congo by the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) and the M23 rebel group.

The new force commander of the East African Community regional force (EACRF) in eastern DR Congo, Maj Gen Alphaxard Kiugu, has urged his troops to focus on their mandate, improve on the lessons learnt since deployment.