UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, through a report sent to the Security Council, expressed his concern about the reduction in the days to come of troops of the Blue Helmets in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In this strategic study, MONUSCO’s number one fears that further scaling down of the UN mission forces, the largest in the world (18,000 men), will no longer enable it to prevent « a collapse of the country ».
« Member states should be cautious in the event of further budget cuts in this mission, as they may jeopardize its ability to fulfill its primary obligations, » warns Antonio Guterres, before recalling that the ultimate goal of MONUSCO is to prevent the « collapse of the DR Congo, threatening regional and international stability ».
The UN Security Council last March decided to reduce the troop strength of MONUSCO by 2,000. The 15 members of the Council will meet next week in a meeting on the DR Congo.