The situation in eastern DRC is shifting, and it’s becoming harder to ignore one reality. MONUSCO, the United Nations peacekeeping mission, is becoming totally irrelevant. In the first place it has always existed as a “peacekeeping” mission, but never kept any peace.
Despite billions of dollars spent over the years, the mission has failed to bring any measure of security to eastern DRC. Meanwhile, the M23 movement has taken actions that already are bearing real fruit, protecting civilians, supporting disarmament, and facilitating the reintegration of refugees in their home villages.
Take the recent capture of Goma and Bukavu. These cities, once plagued by looting, violence, and lawlessness, are now experiencing peace and stability under M23. Internally displaced people are returning to their homes, regaining territories that were previously under the control of the genocidal FDLR. It’s vastly different from the years when MONUSCO was present but seemingly unable to stop the chaos.
Another key shift is the disruption of Tshisekedi’s alliances with foreign mercenaries. The M23 has steadily pushed back against the coalition of FARDC and its foreign mercenaries. Countries like Malawi and Tanzania have pulled out of the SAMIDRC force, signaling a lack of confidence in the ongoing operations.
Unlike MONUSCO, which has been criticized for working alongside the FDLR, the M23 has begun repatriating captured FDLR fighters. The example is the 14 fighters that were handed over to Rwanda this weekend. This is an effort that MONUSCO should have taken seriously long ago. Instead, the UN mission has poured money into a strategy that has yielded little in terms of lasting peace.
With the M23 steadily securing areas and restoring order, MONUSCO is left looking ineffective. The question now is whether the UN should continue investing in a mission that hasn’t delivered on its promises. It’s high time to rethink where those billions of dollars could be better spent, because right now, MONUSCO isn’t serving the interests of the Congolese people.