Should UN Peacekeepers in Congo Stay or Go?

The Democratic Republic of Congo's east, a mineral-laden region crucial to the global economy, remains embroiled in one of the world's deadliest conflicts—a situation compounded by political tensions with the United Nations. The longtime UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO has been present for over two decades and has 14,000 personnel in the country. But the Congolese government wants them out and many Congolese view the peacekeepers as ineffective and want them gone as well.

After prodding from Congo, the UN Security Council last year voted unanimously to wind down the peacekeeping force, with a plan to put security in the hands of Congo's government by December. But an uptick in violence has slowed those plans. MONUSCO has been training local soldiers in hopes of leaving behind a capable force once it goes. MONUSCO says it has a sole brigade that goes on the offensive, with the bulk of its troops dedicated to defensive measures.

One displaced person says they're achieving little. "You can see that MONUSCO is there, but that's in name only ... People are dying, but it does nothing." Still, there is international concern that a security vacuum would follow MONUSCO's exit, as over 80% of the 7 million displaced individuals in Congo live in UN-protected areas. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)