UN extends its peacekeeping deployment and demands Rwanda leave Congo
U.N. Security Council on Friday reaffirmed the mandate for U.N. peacekeepers, urged that Rwanda cease aiding the rebels and remove its troops, and denounced an M23 advance in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In a unanimous vote, the 15-member council also called for the DRC to fulfill its pledge to “neutralize the group” and that Congolese military cease aiding organizations like the FDLR.
When Hutus who had taken part in the 1994 genocide that killed over a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus fled Rwanda, they created the FDLR. In the eastern Congo, M23 claims to be fighting to defend ethnic Tutsi communities.
A week prior to the most recent M23 advance in mineral-rich eastern Congo, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington earlier this month and reaffirmed their commitment to a peace agreement mediated by the United States.
Rwanda has denied allegations of aiding M23 and accused Burundian and Congolese forces for the most recent uptick in violence. Rwanda insists its troops are in eastern Congo for what it describes as defensive actions.
The Security Council extended the mandate of the long-running peacekeeping operation, MONUSCO, for an additional year. Approximately 11,000 police and soldiers are presently involved in the operation.
