The UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, had signed a deal with the government that will speed up the withdrawal of UN troops from the central African country, said the head of MONUSCO Bintou Keita said at the signing ceremony on Tuesday.
"We thank our Congolese partners for signing this disengagement plan, which marks the end of a long process," Keita said.
The UN mission has been present in the country since 1999, supervising the implementation of ceasefire and disengagement deals among rival militias.
As of February 2023, the mission comprised over 16,000 uniformed personnel. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi asked the UN in September to speed up their pullout and transfer MONUSCO responsibilities to the Congolese government.
"We want this withdrawal to be a model that will give us greater international respectability and help us improve our country's image," Congolese Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula said.
The Congolese government wants UN peacekeepers to start packing as soon as December. MONUSCO said the parties agreed a plan and a timeline for the mission's complete disengagement, but no dates were given.