Congo has stated it will not seek the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers from North Kivu province despite the presence of Rwandan forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.
Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner cited the ongoing conflict in the eastern part of the country as reason to maintain troop presence.
A recent UN report indicated that 3,000-4,000 Rwandan troops are actively engaged in fighting alongside the Congolese army and supporting rebel operations.
The Congolese army accused the rebels on Friday of violating a US-brokered humanitarian ceasefire.
Last September, President Felix Tshisekedi called for the peacekeepers’ withdrawal, accusing them of failing to confront the rebels. Demonstrations against MONUSCO bases in eastern Congo resulted in dozens of deaths.
Peacekeepers completed their withdrawal from South Kivu province in June as part of an initial phase.
M23 rebels resumed their insurgency in 2022, seizing large areas of North Kivu and displacing nearly one million people. The rebels claim they are protecting ethnic Tutsi communities from genocide.