KINSHASA: The withdrawal of UN peacekeepers from the Democratic Republic of Congo “has commenced”, the foreign minister announced on Saturday, with completion due by the end of the year.
The DRC called for the withdrawal despite United Nations concern about violence in the eastern part of the country.
The UN Security Council voted in December to accede to Kinshasa’s demand for a gradual pullout by the MONUSCO mission which had arrived in 1999.
Despite a volatile domestic situation, the government had for months been calling for an accelerated withdrawal of the peacekeepers.
Kinshasa considers the UN force to be ineffective in protecting civilians from the armed groups and militias that have plagued the eastern DRC for three decades.
The accusation is similar to that made by other African countries, notably Mali, which also demanded the emergency departure of the UN mission there.
Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula and MONUSCO chief Bintou Keita told a press conference in the capital they would work for an “exemplary” withdrawal.