South Africa has resolved to draw the curtain on its long-standing participation in the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monusco). In a telephone conversation held on January 12, President Cyril Ramaphosa informed the United Nations secretary‑general Antonio Guterres of the South African government’s decision to withdraw its contribution of soldiers to the mission.

South Africa ranks amongst the top ten troop‑contributing countries to Monusco, with a force presence of over seven hundred soldiers deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in support of the mission’s peacekeeping mandate.

In a statement released on Saturday, President Ramaphosa indicated that South Africa’s unilateral withdrawal decision from Monusco ‘is influenced by the need to consolidate and realign the resources of the South African National Defence Force, following twenty‑seven years of South Africa’s support to UN peacekeeping efforts in the DRC’.

Monusco was established by the UN Security Council in 1999, initially to support the 1999 Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement. With persistent conflict in the DRC, the mission has evolved with a mandate to protect civilians, humanitarian personnel, and human rights defenders under imminent threat of physical violence, and to support the DRC government in stabilisation and peace‑consolidation efforts.

The president said South Africa would work jointly with the UN to finalise the timelines and other modalities of the withdrawal, which will be completed before the end of the year.

“The South African government will continue to maintain close bilateral relations with the government of the DRC, as well as provide ongoing support to other multilateral efforts by the Southern African Development Community, the African Union, and the UN aimed at bringing lasting peace to the Democratic Republic of Congo,” the statement read.