Monusco

The head of MONUSCO, and Special Representative to DRC, Bintou Keita, briefed the Security Council in December, telling ambassadors that the security situation had “deteriorated dramatically” in previous weeks.

The motorcycle driver then issued a warning to the student and forbade her to “defend” MONUSCO.

Although Monusco has disengaged from South Kivu, escalating violence in North Kivu and Ituri has prompted calls from Congolese authorities to delay the mission’s exit.

At least eight peacekeepers of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as MONUSCO, were injured in an attack on Saturday in the eastern part of the country, reports citing Xinhua.

Communities that have stayed behind in vulnerable villages also benefit from MONUSCO's presence, said Désiré Maladro, president of the civil society in Djugu's Bahema Badjere district.

Congo’s communication minister, Patrick Muyaya, said there would be a new timeline for MONUSCO’s departure, but didn’t give details.

He expressed his solidarity with the affected populations and reiterated MONUSCO's commitment to implementing its protection of civilian mandate.

In North Kivu, MONUSCO continues to participate in maintaining a defense zone around the cities of Goma and Sake and is providing guarantees to protect civilians by maintaining bases in several locations, including in areas under M23 control.

The New Humanitarian used transportation provided by MONUSCO.

MONUSCO soldiers themselves have been frequently accused of sexually assaulting civilians, while also not preventing the exploitation of miners at the hands of multinational corporations or effectively protecting civilians from rebel attacks.

MONUSCO Uruguayan Peacekeepers patrol arrives in Katanga hamlet near Pinga which was the HQ of NDC commander Cheka and was emptied from its entire population until the militia withdrew, the 4th of December 2013.

Known by its French acronym MONUSCO, it has hundreds of military personnel stationed in Beni and more than 16,000 peacekeepers overall in Congo.

MONUSCO has been successful at securing the smooth supply of DRC minerals through the related global value chains.

So should the UNSC withdraw the peacekeepers and shut MONUSCO down, as some Congolese have demanded?

The powerful players include all five permanent members of the UNSC – the US, UK, France, Russia and China – who have authorized and funded MONUSCO for 20 years.

Set up in 2010, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo called MONUSCO is the global body’s largest but has struggled to neutralise a patchwork of rebel and militia factions in eastern Congo and has previously drawn criticism from Museveni.

Unfortunately, MONUSCO's aviation assets and the travel budget for its civilian staff were both cut in 2017.