Kigali, Rwanda — December 20, 2025 The United Nations Security Council has called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces from eastern Congo and extended the U. N. Peacekeeping mission in the region, MONUSCO, for an additional year.
This decision comes amidst ongoing conflict in the area, despite a recent peace agreement.
The Security Council, in a unanimous resolution, condemned the offensive by the Rwanda — backed M23 rebel group and demanded that Rwanda cease supporting the rebels and withdraw its troops.
The resolution also renewed the mandate of MONUSCO, maintaining the presence of approximately 11,500 military personnel in Congo.
According to the U. N.
The M23 claimed to have withdrawn from Uvira, a strategic city in eastern Congo it seized last week, following pressure from the U.
S.
However, Congo’s government disputes this, stating that the withdrawal was “staged “and that the rebels are still in the city.
The U.
S. Deputy ambassador to the U.
N.
Jennifer Locetta, emphasized that M23 must immediately withdraw at least 75 kilometers away from Uvira.
The offensive by M23, which took control of the city last week, occurred despite a U. S.
-mediated peace agreement signed earlier this month by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Washington.
The peace agreement, which did not include the rebel group, obligated Rwanda to halt support for armed groups like M23 and work to end hostilities. Congo, the U.
S.
And U. N.
Experts have accused Rwanda of backing M23, which has grown from hundreds of members in 2021 to around 6,500 fighters, according to the U.
N.
The conflict in eastern Congo, near the border with Rwanda, has created one of the world’s most significant humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, according to the U.
N. Agency for refugees.
MONUSCO arrived in Congo in 2010 to protect civilians and humanitarian personnel and to support the Congolese government in its stabilization and peace consolidation efforts.
In 2023, at Congo’s request, the U. N. Security Council voted to draw down the peacekeeping force and gradually hand over its security responsibilities to Congo’s government.
However, frustrated Congolese have expressed dissatisfaction with the U. N. Mission, leading to protests against the U.
N. And others that have at times turned deadly. Further details are expected as the situation continues to develop.
