Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have called for a clear roadmap for the withdrawal of the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force from their country.
The call was made during a ministerial meeting chaired by the country’s Prime Minister Sama Lukonde.
Congolese ministers have resolved to speed up discussions with the UN about the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers from their country.
The 16 000-strong UN force, known by its French acronym Monusco, has been criticised for its perceived inability to stop militia attacks against civilians in eastern DRC.
Last year, Congolese demonstrators burnt UN bases in eastern DRC after the head of the peacekeeping force said they could not help Congolese soldiers to fight against the M23 rebels because the rebels had more sophisticated weapons.
The UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC was deployed in 1999 to help bring peace and stability after a regional conflict caused thousands of deaths.
Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Morocco and South Africa are among the major troop-contributing countries.
The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution last year calling for a phased, gradual and responsible drawdown of the UN peacekeepers in the DRC.
The plan is supposed to see the force leave by 2024, but the DRC is still facing a lot of insecurity in the east of the country. The UN says there are more than 120 armed groups fighting over land, power and the control of minerals. -Reporting by SABC Correspondent in Kinshasa, Chris Ocamringa.
