President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) says he has asked his government to fast-track the withdrawal of a United Nations peacekeeping mission to ensure it begins at the end of the year.

The mission, called MONUSCO, took over from an earlier UN operation in 2010 to help quell insecurity in the DRC’s east where armed groups fight over territory and resources, but its presence has become increasingly unpopular in recent years for what critics have said is a failure to protect civilians from violence, sparking deadly protests.

At least 56 people were killed and dozens wounded in an army crackdown on violent anti-UN demonstrations in the eastern city of Goma last month. Another protest in July 2022 resulted in more than 15 deaths, including three peacekeepers in Goma and the city of Butembo.

Tshisekedi’s pronouncement, came just weeks after the seven-nation East African Community (EAC) extended the mandate of a regional military force deployed to quell violence in eastern DRC.