Ukrainian Troops Leave DR Congo Peacekeeping Mission To Help In War Effort

250 Ukrainian troops currently working with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have returned home to help in the fighting against invading Russian troops, reported The BBC News.

In an interview with the BBC, Jacques Ndjoli, who serves on DR Congo’s parliamentary defence committee, said the withdrawal of the Ukrainian troops was relatively serious. He, however, admitted that bringing peace to the country was primarily the responsibility of the Congolese army.

As the Ukrainians left DR Congo, Gen Marcos da Costa, the Brazilian commander of the UN force, said their 10 years of immense contribution was greatly appreciated.

When the withdrawal of Ukraine’s aviation unit was announced in March, at that time the diplomats warned it could leave the UN mission seriously short of helicopters.

The helicopters are vital in the fight against armed militant groups in the embattled eastern part of the DR Congo. The eight Ukrainian helicopters made up about a third of the UN fleet.

Since the Russian invasion in February, Ukraine had already pulled out its troops from the other UN peacekeeping mission where they had been deployed.

Notably, the UN mission in DR Congo, MONUSCO, is already under pressure in the country. It is one of the largest and most expensive of the UN’s 12 peacekeeping missions.

The MONUSCO mission is widely criticized for failing to protect civilians against the hundred or so armed groups that have been spreading terror in the region including killing, raping and looting the region’s rich minerals resources for nearly 30 years.

In July, 36 people, including four UN peacekeepers, lost their lives when protesters ransacked UN buildings in cities in eastern DR Congo.

After 22 years in the country, the mission is supposed to be winding down but no date has been set for its operations to end.