The mandate for the United Nations mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) expires in December, but amid increasing violence and the collapse of a ceasefire between the Congolese government and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group, the U.N. Security Council is now weighing another extension.
The outcome of the Security Council’s decision to renew or terminate the mandate will shape the trajectory of MONUSCO’s legacy and indicate the U.N.’s commitment to sustained peacekeeping engagements amid long-term conflicts. This is a critical vote for the future of peacekeeping, as the Security Council’s five permanent member countries, specifically the U.S., will vote according to shifting fiscal and isolationist priorities.
The U.N. authorized its first peacekeeping mission in the DRC, the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), in 1999, with several mandate renewals and reconfigurations since. Close to 100,000 people have served in MONUC and MONUSCO, which has a current deployment of 13,562. It remains one of the largest and most expensive peacekeeping missions in U.N. history. Although the current mandate is nearing expiration, disengagement and withdrawal mapping for the mission has been paused since July, creating a gap in planning that threatens to undermine the progress of international initiatives in the country.
Current Status: An Escalating Crisis in the Eastern Provinces
In North Kivu and Ituri provinces, MONUSCO has been hampered by both self-imposed limits and roadblocks set up by M23, which has demanded advance notice before the deployment of U.N. personnel, restricting its participants’ freedom of movement outside government-controlled territories. Increasingly violent campaigns by militias, including the Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces and the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO), have targeted civilians, but logistical hurdles and limited operational capacity have left MONUSCO unable to mitigate the violence. The humanitarian situation in the DRC ranks among the worst in the world, with an estimated 5.3 million people internally displaced and 27.7 million experiencing critical levels of food insecurity. Public health emergencies caused by the prolonged conflict and health system weaknesses have been declared in 19 of the DRC’s 26 provinces.
Although MONUSCO formally withdrew from South Kivu in September, it is still implementing its mandate to protect civilians there, particularly from the threat of M23, which Rwanda has been accused of backing. As both government forces and M23 exchange accusations of violating the ceasefire, violence in the country’s east has increased dramatically.
Reported parallel governing authorities in M23-occupied North Kivu and Ituri, combined with the militia’s ability to block the water and electricity supply to MONUSCO headquarters and offices, have hampered the U.N. peacekeepers’ ability to carry out their mandate. Goma International Airport remains closed and under the control of M23, limiting casualty evacuations for MONUSCO and Congolese personnel and delaying medical evacuation capabilities for civilians. Restrictions on MONSUCO operations are endangering the lives of its personnel and narrowing the scope of its impact.
Mandate Expansion and the Force Intervention Brigade
In 2013, early in the conflict, U.N. Security Council Resolution 2098 created the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) to strengthen the mission by neutralizing and disarming armed groups threatening civilians and state authority in eastern DRC. Although the FIB successfully responded to M23’s 2013 rebellion, its blueprint remains controversial.
The nature of the FIB as an offensive force leaves it in a complicated legal position under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter and as a party to the conflict itself. FIB has relied on a close relationship with the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), which had been accused of human rights abuses. The limits of this relationship, including problems with coordination, led to the proliferation of other armed groups and contributed to the failure to develop a framework for a political solution to the conflict.
Progress Amid Constraints
Since MONUSCO’s mission was extended in 2024, its initiatives have been designed to complement ongoing U.N.-supported peace processes. In addition to protecting civilians, successful mission-facilitated processes include disarming child soldiers, identifying explosive hazards, facilitating intercommunal dialogue, training FARDC soldiers, restoring financial systems in conflict zones, and instituting initiatives to combat human trafficking and sexual violence and support to victims and survivors.
As instability increased in the DRC, MONUSCO moved its headquarters from Goma to Beni, a town effectively isolated by its lack of traversable roads. This siting diminishes its logistical capabilities to respond to attacks on civilians and fulfill the mission mandate. Despite the authorization for 11,500 military personnel, the mission fields only about 9,900 troops. The police component of the mission is made up of a bit more than 1,000 people, operating units in Goma, Kinshasa, Beni, and Bunia. Restricted movement in Goma has caused a rerouting of troops through Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport.
Every six months, a U.N. review team assesses deployed police divisions based on their effectiveness in civilian protection, combatting crime, and building trust within local communities. Compared with the previous evaluation in 2024, the performance rating of individual U.N. police officers followed a continuing downward trend, decreasing from 76% to 71%. MONUSCO police are responsible for protecting civilians, stabilizing and strengthening state institutions, supporting national forces against armed groups, and internal management of the peacekeepers’ support. The rating decrease indicates the impact of personnel turnover and underfunding on the effectiveness of these initiatives and illustrates the lack of operational consistency due to high turnover, short rotation periods, and slow recruitment.
Challenges Ahead
On Sept. 30, the U.N. Security Council heard consultations and testimony about MONUSCO’s performance. The mission’s failure to ensure civilian protection or control the resurgence of armed groups has been criticized by the Security Council. MONUSCO’s lengthy deployment and its inability to mitigate the conflict has exhausted public and government support for the mission.
Current dynamics in the U.N. favor the rising influence of non-Western states and private military or security entities. The 2013 adoption of UNSCR 2719 effectively authorizing the use of U.N.-assessed funds to support African Union-led peace operations, opens the door for a wider array of actors in security support.
Due to the FIB’s controversial nature, the Security Council is expected to debate the ambiguity of the FIB’s mandate and its outdated structure, which originally had been imagined for the 2013 M23 threat but has not undergone any successive updates. The FIB’s support for the Congolese forces inherently jeopardizes the U.N.’s impartiality and clashes with the traditional principles of U.N. peacekeeping. In recent years, wavering regional and DRC government support for the mission has contributed to a crisis of legitimacy for U.N. peacekeeping in the DRC and the erosion of trust among the Congolese.
In 2023, DRC President Félix Tshisekedi’s government had formally requested the withdrawal of MONUSCO, saying it had failed to protect civilians or bring peace. On April 25, the governments of Rwanda and the DRC signed a declaration of principles that included support for MONUSCO and its mandate.
While MONUSCO appears to be outgunned and outmaneuvered by better-equipped armed groups, politically motivated disinformation campaigns combined with hostile government reactions have resulted in public discontent with the mission. Amid an upturn in conflict reminiscent of conditions prompting its extension in 2024, popular belief that the mission has been complicit in recent atrocities has undermined civilian trust of MONUSCO itself. As M23 and other armed groups have captured more territory in the east, the Congolese government has criticized MONUSCO for its slow response to and limited success in preventing atrocities and its stationary presence. Since MONUSCO operations require main road access to accommodate supply routes and troop mobility, the most vulnerable civilians have been isolated outside its reach.
Rwanda’s Role
The U.N. and the U.S. have credibly accused Rwanda of logistically and militarily supporting M23 as a strategic proxy, which systemically undermines MONUSCO’s presence in the DRC. In numerous statements to the U.N., Rwanda has claimed MONUSCO misreported data on civilian casualties and exaggerated claims of damage inflicted by M23 in eastern DRC.
Despite Rwanda’s documented history of support for M23 and engagement in illicit cross-border smuggling of critical minerals out of the DRC, reports contend it has been able to avoid U.N. sanctions on its behavior due to its status as the third-largest contributor of peacekeepers to various U.N. missions. Rwanda substantiates its reputation with its consistent contribution of high performing troops to the U.N. stabilization mission in the Central African Republic. The United States has expressed concern that some fellow members of the Security Council fail to recognize Rwanda’s involvement in the DRC or its interference with peace processes there.
Mandate Fatigue and the Burden of Expectations
Civilians in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri have been living in conflict zones for decades. Even as M23, the ADF, and CODECO gain territory moving west into the DRC, MONUSCO’s presence is stretched across an expanding area of responsibility. During its years in operation, renewals of the MONUSCO mission have come with what has been popularly deemed the “Christmas tree mandate.” With each renewal comes attachments adding tasks and objectives that further weigh on the original mandate on the mission.
As the decision to extend MONUSCO’s mandate approaches, conflict in the DRC is quickly intensifying. Threats to civilians are multiplying as violence outpaces diplomacy. The United States has released funds specifically for MONUSCO but has eliminated funding for other U.N. peacekeeping missions. U.N. experts have criticized the U.S.’s effort to pick and choose peacekeeping missions to fund due to the problematic precedent it sets; however, any repayment to outstanding debt by member nations will temporarily improve its available means.
Facing mission expansion and exhaustion, the Security Council will likely weigh the continued fiscal and physical costs of MONUSCO’s operation against the international community’s responsibility to protect the lives of millions of vulnerable Congolese. As a mission criticized for its longevity and stalled success, a vote on its renewal is coming at a time critical to the DRC’s humanitarian crisis and a re-evaluation of U.S. foreign aid. The Security Council’s decision will shape the trajectory of MONUSCO’s legacy and signal the U.N.’s commitment to sustained peacekeeping engagements amid long-term conflicts.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not an official policy or position of New Lines Institute.
