UN urges Rwanda to pull forces from eastern Congo, extends MONUSCO for a year

The U.N. Security Council on Friday urged Rwanda to withdraw its forces from eastern Congo and extended MONUSCO's mandate for a year, as fighting involving the Rwanda-backed M23 escalated despite a U.S.-mediated peace deal. The 15-member council adopted the resolution unanimously, renewing about 11,500 uniformed personnel and the mission's civilian components to protect civilians and support the Congolese government.

The council also condemned the M23 offensive and demanded that Rwanda stop backing armed groups and pull its troops from Congo. U.S. deputy ambassador Jennifer Locetta told the Security Council that M23 must immediately withdraw at least 75 kilometers (47 miles) from the strategic city of Uvira, which the rebels seized last week. Congo's government said the withdrawal was staged and that rebels remained in Uvira.

The M23 emerged in 2021 during Congo’s eastern crisis and has grown from hundreds of members to roughly 6,500 fighters, according to U.N. and security analysts. The rebels quickly captured territory and posed a direct challenge to the Congolese government, even as a U.S.-brokered peace framework sought to pause hostilities. The broader conflict in eastern Congo involves more than a dozen armed groups jostling for influence over mineral-rich areas near the Rwanda border, and has fueled a refugee and humanitarian crisis.

The resolution comes amid a humanitarian emergency that the United Nations has described as one of the world’s most significant, with more than 7 million people displaced and tens of thousands seeking aid inside the country each month. The conflict has strained the capacity of humanitarian organizations to reach those in need and has drawn international attention to the region’s instability.

MONUSCO’s presence in Congo began in 2010, when the mission took over from an earlier U.N. operation with a mandate to protect civilians, support stabilization, and assist the government. In 2023, at Congo’s request, the Security Council voted to gradually draw down the force and shift some security responsibilities to Kigali and Kinshasa. The latest resolution preserves a robust U.N. footprint for at least another year, signaling the international community’s continued assessment that a formal stabilization effort remains necessary, even as political negotiations continue.

The U.N., the United States, and Congo’s government have pressed for a clear path to ending hostilities and reducing regional tensions. While the Washington-brokered agreement between Congo and Rwanda’s presidents did not include M23, the parties have pledged to end fighting and address the rebels’ role in the region through separate negotiations. Across the border, however, the fighting has persisted in eastern Congo, complicating efforts to deliver aid and to safeguard civilians as thousands more are displaced or left without access to basic services.