5 months ago
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The UN Security Council has urged Rwanda to retreat its forces from eastbound Congo and extended the UN peacekeeping ngo successful Congo, known arsenic MONUSCO, for a year, arsenic warring successful the portion escalated contempt a U.S.-mediated bid deal.
The UN's astir almighty assemblage connected Friday (December 19, 2025) condemned an violative by the Rwanda-backed M23, demanded that Rwanda halt supporting the rebels and retreat its troops. The Security Council besides renewed the peacekeepers' mandate, keeping astir 11,500 subject unit successful the country, successful a unanimously adopted resolution.
The solution comes arsenic M23 claimed Wednesday (December 17) to person withdrawn from Uvira, a strategical metropolis successful eastbound Congo, which it seized past week, aft unit from the US. Congo's authorities said the withdrawal was “staged” and that the rebels were inactive successful the city.
U.S. Deputy Ambassador Jennifer Locetta told the Security Council connected Friday that M23 indispensable instantly retreat astatine slightest 75 kilometres (47 miles) distant from Uvira.
M23 took power of the metropolis past week successful a deadly violative that came contempt a U.S.-mediated bid statement signed earlier this period by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents successful Washington.
The accord didn't see the rebel group, which is negotiating separately with Congo and agreed earlier this twelvemonth to a ceasefire that some sides impeach the different of violating. However, the accord obliges Rwanda to halt enactment for equipped groups similar M23 and enactment to extremity hostilities.
Congo, the U.S. and UN experts impeach Rwanda of backing M23, which has grown from hundreds of members successful 2021 to astir 6,500 fighters, according to the UN.
More than 100 equipped groups are vying for a foothold successful mineral-rich eastbound Congo, adjacent the borderline with Rwanda, astir prominently M23. The struggle has created 1 of the world's astir important humanitarian crises, with much than 7 cardinal radical displaced, according to the UN bureau for refugees.
The MONUSCO unit arrived successful Congo successful 2010, aft taking implicit from an earlier UN peacekeeping ngo to support civilians and humanitarian unit and to enactment the Congolese authorities successful its stabilisation and bid consolidation efforts.
However, frustrated Congolese person said that nary 1 is protecting them from rebel attacks, starring to protests against the UN ngo and others that person astatine times turned deadly.
In 2023, astatine Congo's request, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to gully down the peacekeeping unit and gradually manus implicit its information responsibilities to Congo's government.
