Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi on Wednesday, September 20, called for speedy withdrawal of United Nations peacekeepers from the country.

The approximately 15,000 UN peacekeepers have spent about 25 years in DRC.

“It is time for our country to take full control of its destiny and become the main actor in its own stability,” Tshisekedi told the UN General Assembly.

“The acceleration of the withdrawal of MONUSCO becomes absolutely necessary to ease tensions,” he added. 

The DRC president made the remarks openly after discussions of MONUSCO’s departure dominated in the country over the years.

According to Tshisekedi, the UN peacekeepers had not succeeded in tackling confrontations and rebellions against the citizens.

Tshisekedi who took over power in January 2019, has declared interest in retaining his seat in the December 20, 2023 elections.

This was after the ruling party, Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) confirmed Félix Tshisekedi’s candidacy for the 2023 presidential election.

Initially, the UN had approved the withdrawal of the peacekeeping troops from DRC in December 2024 but the president has requested that they should start leaving in December 2023.

His remarks contradict a statement by the United States which had in June 2023 indicated the need for the peacekeepers to stay longer in the country.

Discussions on the position of peacekeepers in DRC emerged at a time when the country was experiencing protests as residents demanded the kicking out of the peacekeepers.

For instance, in August, about 50 people were killed and several others seriously injured during anti-UN protests in Eastern DRC.

The country has been affected by militia violence for over 30 years, dating back to the 1990s but the war intensified between 1999 and 2010.

The UN peacekeeping mission in DRC is the largest and the costliest in the world. The mission has a budget of about $1 billion annually.