Africa's regional forces are not ready to bring peace in the DRC, the USA says

• UN peacekeepers set to leave DRC will be replaced by the SADC Standby Force and the East African Community Regional Force.
• The US says 24 years of peacekeeping in the DRC by MONUSCO represents an enormous investment in resources and lives.
• The US says both the DRC and Rwanda should stop supporting rebels if peace is to be attained in the eastern DRC.

The SADC Standby Force and East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) will, by the end of the year, start their missions in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

But they were not ready yet, according to the US.

The US wanted to see a "responsible, orderly, progressive, and successful withdrawal" of UN peacekeepers and continued protection of civilians, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a UN Security Council Briefing on the DRC on Thursday.

Her appeal comes as the DRC last week again declared it wanted the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) out of the country after 24 years.

READ | DR Congo calls for swift withdrawal of UN peacekeepers

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi said due to the mission's failure to protect civilians from violence, he wanted it out.

There were also protests in the DRC aimed at MONUSCO's presence earlier this month.

Greenfield said for nearly a quarter century, the DRC had seen "an enormous investment in resources and lives, and we must build on these investments".

She added the UN Secretariat, MONUSCO, and DRC government should ensure "the protection of civilians before, during, and most importantly, after MONUSCO's departure".

'Africa's own forces aren't ready'

There are concerns the African Union, EACRF, and SADC forces might not be up for the task ahead.

"The United States is frankly concerned that the DRC and regional security forces are not prepared to meet the security requirements of the Congolese people.

"The international community must ensure the mission's withdrawal does not exacerbate the already perilous humanitarian crisis or put additional lives at risk. And I know this has to be a concern for the DRC government as well," Greenfield added.

The EACRF is expected to "backfill" where MONUSCO would withdraw.

As such, there should be a clear framework in place for how MONUSCO could assist EACRF's arrival in the DRC, Greenfield warned.

There are more than a hundred "mai mai" community-based armed groups in eastern DRC.

They are a cause for concern, along with the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels.

There is also the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FARDC), backed by the DRC government, launching attacks from the east and moving into Rwanda.

At the SADC summit in Windhoek on 8 May, Tshisekedi asked for the SADC Standby Force to also come in as a regional response in support of the DRC to restore peace and security in the east.

With that context, Greenfield said: "Let's be clear, the mission cannot bring peace to eastern DRC on its own."

READ | Amid reports of repression, international election observers head to DRC ahead of December elections

She added peace could only prevail if both Rwanda and the DRC stopped supporting rebels.

"That's why we again call for the FARDC to cut ties with the FDLR, thereby ending a relationship that has been of long concern to Rwanda." 

She said:

The DRC will hold general elections on 20 December and instability in the east would compromise the election process.

MONUSCO has so far been at the centre of transporting electoral material in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu.

While it plots its departure from DRC, Greenfield said the peacekeeping force should be protected from attacks.

The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.