Submit this form
Home News Videos Music Photos Facebook Twitter Friends Newsletter Podcasts Mobile RSS
Security Council agrees to convert UN mission in DR Congo into stabilization force

UN News - May 28, 2010
Conseil de Security des Nations Unis

The Security Council today extended the current mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by one month and agreed to transform the operation so that from then on it becomes a stabilization mission in the vast African nation.

“In view of the new phase that has been reached in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations mission in that country, MONUC, shall, as from 1 July 2010, bear the title of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO),” the Council said in a unanimously adopted resolution.

MONUC’s mandate now extends through 30 June, when it becomes MONUSCO, which has been authorized to stay in the DRC until 30 June next year.

The resolution also authorized the withdrawal of up to 2,000 UN military personnel by 30 June this year from areas where security has improved enough to allow their removal.

The Council decided that MONUSCO shall comprise, in addition to the appropriate civilian, judiciary and correction components, a maximum of 19,815 military personnel, 760 military observers, 391 police personnel and 1,050 personnel of formed police units.

It also authorized the mission to keep a reserve force capable of redeploying rapidly elsewhere in the country, while concentrating its military forces in the east of the country.

The Council stressed that the DRC Government bore the primary responsibility for security, peacebuilding and development in the country, and encouraged Kinshasa to remain fully committed to protecting the population through the establishment of professional and sustainable security forces.

It also encouraged the Government to promote non-military solutions as an integral part of the overall solution for reducing the threat posed by Congolese and foreign armed groups and to restore full State authority in the areas freed from armed groups.

“Future reconfigurations of MONUSCO should be determined on the basis of the evolution of the situation on the ground,” the Council said in its resolution.

Any future reconfiguration will be based on the following consideration – the completion of the ongoing military operations in the Kivu provinces and Orientale province; an improved capacity of the DRC Government to effectively protect the population through the establishment of sustainable security forces with a view to progressively take over MONUSCO’s security role; and the consolidation of State authority across the territory, through the deployment of Congolese civil administration, in particular the police, territorial administration and rule of law institutions in areas freed from armed groups.

MONUC’s current mandate was due to expire on Monday.

In his latest report on MONUC, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had recommended that the 20,000-strong MONUC force begin a drawdown of troops by 30 June. The Government had proposed a total withdrawal of the peacekeeping forces by 30 August 2011.

Earlier this month, members of the Security Council visited the DRC to hear the opinion of the Government there on the future of MONUC.

They also noted that substantial progress had been made since the deployment of the mission in 1999 to monitor the implementation of the peace process that was intended to end civil war in the DRC.

MONUC peacekeepers have also been providing logistical support to the Congolese national army in its operations against Rwandan Hutu rebels and other insurgent groups in the restive eastern provinces of North and South Kivu.


Related articles


  1. 'Deadly environment' plus 'political and social' obstacles hinder Ebola fight, Security Council hears (July 24, 2019)
  2. Ebola outbreak declared an international Public Health Emergency (July 17, 2019)
  3. Jean-Pierre Bemba Returns to DR Congo (August 1, 2018)
  4. At least 30 dead after massacres in Ituri (March 2, 2018)
  5. Botswana Urges Joseph Kabila to Step Down (February 26, 2018)
  6. No elections in DR Congo in December without electronic voting machines: INEC (February 13, 2018)
  7. DR Congo reach final of African Nations Championship (February 3, 2016)
  8. Peacekeepers, Congo Army to Resume Joint Fight Against Rwandan Rebels (January 28, 2016)
  9. Political tensions 'running high' in DR Congo ahead of 2016 elections (October 7, 2015)
  10. UN Report Blames Ugandan Islamists for 237 Killings in DR Congo (May 14, 2015)
  11. DRC Army Putting Pressure on FDLR (April 1, 2015)
  12. Police Open Fire on Crowd Protesting Election Law Change (January 19, 2015)
  13. Southern African Leaders to Meet in Zimbabwe (August 15, 2014)
  14. Senior UN officials urge Brazzaville to halt expulsion of DR Congo nationals (May 26, 2014)
  15. 15 dead in football match stampede in Kinshasa (May 12, 2014)
  16. Security Council extends UN mission, intervention force in DR Congo for one year (March 28, 2014)
  17. Death toll in Lake Albert boat accident rises to 251 (March 27, 2014)
  18. Death toll in Lake Albert boat accident rises to 108 people (March 24, 2014)
  19. New DR Congo amnesty law welcomed by UN envoys (February 5, 2014)
  20. DR Congo, M23 Rebels Sign Declarations Marking End of Kampala Peace Talks (December 12, 2013)
  21. Kabila Congratulates Congo Army for Defeating M23 Rebels (October 30, 2013)
  22. Advancing Congo Troops Take Control of Rumangabo From M23 Rebels (October 28, 2013)
  23. Congo Army Liberates Rutshuru, Kiwanja and Kibumba From M23 Rebels (October 27, 2013)
  24. Rwandan Support for M23 Rebels Frustrates Attempts to End Fighting in Eastern Congo (September 26, 2013)
  25. Ban Ki-moon Confirms M23 Rebels Shelled Rwanda (August 31, 2013)
  26. M23 Rebels Fired Shells Into Rwanda, Not Congo Army, UN Says (August 30, 2013)
  27. Dozens of M23 Rebels Killed by Congo Army in Renewed Fighting (August 22, 2013)
  28. UN Peacekeepers Start Enforcing Security Zone in Eastern Congo (August 1, 2013)
  29. UN mission sets up security zone in eastern DR Congo, gives rebels 48 hour ultimatum (July 30, 2013)
  30. M23 Arrests 110 People Accusing Rebels of Looting At Rally (July 27, 2013)


Live TV Congo Radio en ligne Radio
Available on App Store
Get it on Google Play



Contact Us | About Us | Édition en Français | French Edition

© CongoPlanet.com. All rights reserved.