UN Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who visited DR Congo last week, said that December 31, 2024, which was supposed to be the date for the total withdrawal of MONUSCO troops, has never formally been agreed on by all the parties.

“I dispel this rumor, especially as it has never been confirmed by the authorities, ourselves or the Security Council. We are currently in a consultation phase, and the humanitarian situation remains very worrying. We have met with members of civil society, who have all asked us to stay in Ituri in particular,” Lacroix said in Kinshasa, where he had earlier met with Prime Minister Judith Suminwa.

The UN official said that MONUSCO would support the Congolese army, adding that there was still “a lot of work to be done” in eastern DR Congo.

The UN mission had announced a plan to leave the conflict-ridden DR Congo after President Felix Tshisekedi had asked for “accelerated withdrawal,” which was also supported by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in a report to the Security Council.

MONUSCO has spent about a quarter century in eastern DR Congo, which is the home of more than 200 armed groups.

In November 2023, then Congolese Minister of Foreign Affair Christophe Lutundula and the head of MONUSCO Bintou Keita signed an agreement to kick-start the mission’s withdrawal.

The mission said at the time that the agreement contained “a complete MONUSCO disengagement timeline.” However, Congolese authorities have recently asked MONUSCO to reconsider its withdrawal plan, even as the mission had already begun its disengagement, particularly in South Kivu province, where it withdrew completely and handed over its bases to the Congolese army.

In 2023, protests broke out in North and South Kivu, with residents demanding the departure of the UN mission, which was deployed in 1999.

But in July 2024, Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs Thérèse Kayikwamba informed the UN of the need to “delay the withdrawal process” of MONUSCO due to the escalation of violence in North Kivu, where the Congolese army is fighting the M23 rebels.

A fragile ceasefire in place since August 5 has been marked by sporadic attacks in North Kivu, where the rebels have for over two years fought a government-led coalition, which includes militias such as the FLDR.

But a “security vacuum” feared by the Congolese authorities is now manifesting in Ituri, where armed groups such as the ADF and CODECO wreak havoc, killing dozens of civilians every month.