MONUSCO mandate renewed: An encouraging decision, but room for improvement

It was with great relief that many Congolese, including those victimized by human right violations and concerned about the uncertainty of the upcoming presidential elections, heard the news on March 30 of the United Nations Security Council extending the MONUSCO — the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — mandate for a year, until March 2017. Prolonging the UN mandate may be contrary to what the Congolese government is advocating – the reduction of UN troops. Yet this decision is reasonable, practical and wise in light of the continual failure of the Congolese leadership to secure its people, particularly in the eastern part of the DRC, and the violent fallout looming from the current Congolese government's failure to organize timely presidential elections. The prospect of seeing President Joseph Kabila's government defy the constitutional bar on a third term, and cling to power, has raised tensions among all layers of the Congolese civil and political society, and perplexed the international community. UNSC's extension of the MONUSCO mandate is welcome news: The presence of peace-keeping forces will act as a deterrent to the inevitable violence moving forward, and continue to assist the Congolese government in providing security and restoring order in the country.

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