Russia Supports MONUSCO, Urges Mission to Listen to Government and Society

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin held consultations on the settlement of the situation in the African Great Lakes region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with the UN Secretary General's Special Representative Bintou Keita and the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for African Great Lakes region Huang Xia, the Russian Foreign Ministry has stated.

"The main topic of discussion was the situation in African Great Lakes region and the problems of settlement in the eastern provinces of DR Congo. The Russian side expressed support for the efforts of the MONUSCO and its leadership, as well as the activities of the special envoy of the secretary general to stabilize the situation in the region," the diplomatic department stated, following the meeting.

According to the Foreign Ministry, much attention was paid to the investigation into the circumstances of the attack on the helicopter of the United Nations (UN) peacekeepers in March 2022, which killed eight people, including Lieutenant Colonel Alexey Mizyura, senior of the group of Russian UN military observers.

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At the same time, the ministry stressed that Russia will continue promoting peace processes in the DR Congo and in the African Great Lakes region, including its UN Security Council activities.

The ministry outlined that while assessing the situation, the UN mission should listen to DRC authorities before making the decision to withdraw the mission.

"In the context of considering the issue of the timing of the withdrawal of the mission from the country, the need for a verified account of the situation 'on the ground' is emphasized," Russian Foreign Ministry stated. "At the same time, it was noted that the mission should carefully listen to the opinion of society and the authorities in order to more effectively fulfill its mandate."

More than 120 armed groups are currently operating in major parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, destabilizing the situation in the country and in the nearby territories.

MONUSCO took over from a previous UN peacekeeping operation – the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) – on July 1, 2010. The mission was launched in order to protect civilians, humanitarian personnel and to support the government of the DRC in its peace settlement efforts, according to the UN.

Russia Supports MONUSCO in DRC, Urges Mission to Listen to Government and Society