The Ukrainian quota of the Monusco has 250 soldiers, mainly in aviation.
Le Monde with AFP
Passing in front of the big yellow and blue flag painted on the stone wall of the military camp, the inhabitants of Goma, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), say that Ukrainian blue helmets are recalled in Their country, without worrying about the consequences of their departure. “At home it burns … that the Ukrainians return to defend their country, it is normal,” says AFP Rede Kibanda, 25, neighbor of the basis of Ukrainian soldiers, near the airport, in the neighborhood Bujovu.
Tuesday, March 8, the United Nations announced that I was informed of the intention of Ukraine, invaded by the Russian army, to repatriate his blue helmets deployed in the DRC. The Ukrainian contingent of the UN mission in the country, the MONUSCO, has 250 soldiers, mainly in aviation, on a total of about 15,000 soldiers for all force.
“The UN has received an official notification of the Ukrainian government’s decision to withdraw its military quota, including the staff, helicopters and equipment” of the MONUSCO, said in New York a spokesman for the department UN peace operations: “We take note of this decision and thank Ukraine for its strong contribution.”
“that God protects them!”
Wednesday, everything seemed calm in the base of Ukrainian soldiers in Goma, whose access was forbidden to journalists. A MONUSCO delegation was seen in the camp for a meeting and, according to a source at the UN, discussions are also underway in New York with the Ukrainian authorities. No indication was still available on the modalities of the departure of Ukrainian blue helmets.
“We learn that they will go shortly, but we do not have details,” says Antoine Bahati, young Ukrainian soldiers. “May God protect them!”, Says another inhabitant, Justin Maheshe, 29 years old. “Because when there is war in a country, the people suffer. We too, in our country we go through the war, but one day it will end,” he hopes.
Goma is the capital of North Kivu, one of the Eastern Provinces of the DRC with violence of dozens of armed groups for more than twenty-five years. With the Neighbor Ituri, North Kivu has been under state of Headquarters since May 2021, an exceptional measure that has not allowed to end the violence, no more than the presence of the UN for more than twenty years. A situation that causes some resentment among the population.
The blue helmets “had come to bring peace, unfortunately for several years that they are there, the massacres continue with us, regrets kibanda. This is happening in their presence and sometimes in front of their bases, they can leave without problem. “