The UN Security Council on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution to renew the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for another year, till Dec. 20, 2022.

   Resolution 2612 decides to reduce slightly the authorized troop ceiling of the mission, known by its French acronym as MONUSCO, from 14,000 to 13,500, and allows a temporary deployment of up to 360 personnel of formed police units provided they are deployed in replacement of military personnel.

   The resolution invites the UN Secretariat to consider further reduction of MONUSCO’s level of military deployment and area of operations based on the positive evolution of the situation on the ground, in particular in the regions where the threat posed by armed groups is no longer significant, in line with a joint strategy on the progressive and phased drawdown of the mission.

   It decides that the strategic priorities of MONUSCO are to protect civilians and to support stabilization and the strengthening of state institutions in the DRC and key governance and security reforms.