In September 2023, DRC President Tshisekedi officially requested the gradual withdrawal of MONUSCO (the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC]) troops, marking the beginning of the end of the UN's mission following decades of operations in the country.

Despite its presence since 1999, violence has continued unabated, with armed groups repeatedly attacking the country's mineral-rich east in a global quest involving foreign states and militias for the DRC's estimated $24 trillion in resources. 

The withdrawal is scheduled to be completed in December 2024. However, the country's foreign minister, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, told Reuters on 14 July that the pullout of some 11,000 peacekeepers is now difficult to imagine because of Rwanda's aggression.

This week's Facts of the Week explains what led the DRC to move towards expel one of the world's most controversial UN peacekeeping operations.