🇨🇩🇺🇳 DR Congo asks UN force to start leaving this year

Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi has called for a speedier withdrawal of the UN force in his country to begin this year.

He told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that he had instructed his government to begin talks with the UN to bring forward “the start of this progressive withdrawal from December 2024 to December 2023”.

He said the mission had failed to bring peace in the country despite being there for about 25 years, adding that it was "illusory and counterproductive to continue to cling” to the force to maintain peace.

"It is time for our country to take full control of its destiny and become the main actor in its own stability,” he told.