Why did the United Nations have been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for 65 years?

Since the country’s independence in 1960, the United Nations has played a decisive role in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially by publishing three peace missions, which in turn formed the activities of the organization in the field of peacekeeping over the past 65 years.

Below are four basic points that must be known about the history of the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

1. The presence of the United Nations since independence

The United Nations was first involved in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a few weeks after The country obtained its independence In 30 June 1960, after 75 A year of Belgian control.

The Congo was a special property of King Leopold II from 1885 to 1908, then an official colony of the Belgian state, and its natural resources and the labor force were exploited without any real preparation for political independence.

In July 1960, independence was threatened by The separation of two provinces rich in minerals is Katanga and South Casay. The latter was supported by Belgium and foreign economic interests keen to maintain resource control.

Then the country entered a major political crisis and was assassinated by its Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, in 1961. The United Nations operation in the Congo was published in July 1960.

It was the first peacekeeping mission on a large scale, and the goal of the operation was to help the government in Leopoldville – the previous name of the capital Kinshasa – to restore regime and unity in the country and ensure the withdrawal of the Belgian forces.

The mission, whose strength 20,000 soldiers from the peacekeepers at its peakA major role in ending Katanga’s separation in 1963, before she withdrew in 1964.

2. United Nations Mission: A response to Congolese Wars

After more than 30 years of dictatorial rule during the reign of Moboto Sisi Siko, the country that was renamed was then d into the name of Zayer in two consecutive conflicts. – The first Congo War “ (1997-1997) and“The second” (1998-2003).

In 1996, Rwanda intervened with the support of Uganda and Burundi in particular in East Zaire to expel the Hutu militia responsible for genocide in 1994, which resorted to the southern Kivu Kivu provinces.

In May 1997, Laurent Desire Kabella dominated the power in Zayer with military support from Kigali and Kampala, and Mobutu forced to go to exile, and renamed the country in the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In 1998, Capella turned against his former Rwandan and Ugandan allies, who were supporting rebellions in the east of the country. Kabila received support from Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia. After signing the Lusaka ceasefire agreement In 1999, the United Nations published the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo To supervise the implementation of the agreement.

Even after the official completion of the war in 2003, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is still a strategic issue of regional powers, given its exceptional natural resources (cobalt, cholester, gold, diamonds, copper, etc.) and its main role in the stability of the Great Lakes region.

3. The United Nations Mission to Stabilize in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

In 2010, The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has turned into the United Nations Mission to Stabilize in the Democratic Republic of the CongoWith the expansion of its mandate to include the protection of civilians and the support of the Congolese government in promoting peace and stability.

Until recently, the mission was Distinguished in the three eastern provinces in the northern Kivu, Kevo, South and Iteuri، Its forces withdrew from the southern Kivu in June 2024 At the request of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The mission’s peacekeepers are still present in North Kivu and Iteuri.

Despite the efforts of the United Nations, many armed groups are still active in the region, especially the allied democratic forces And movement 23 March (M23), which defends the interests of the Tutsi Congolese and is supported by the Rwandan forces.

Since the beginning of 2025, the March 23 movement and the Rwandan army have been responsible for the outbreak of recent violence in the east of the country, where they occupied several strategic towns in north and south of Kivu.

4. Natural Resources: a major factor in conflict

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has huge natural resources, especially in the three eastern provinces. In these provinces, huge reserves from Gold and diamonds And tin Which is used in electronics welding, food packaging, semiconductor industries and electronic components.

The north and south of Kivu Ghanian in the two colors, which is a metal that is highly required in the technology sector for use in the manufacture of capacitors in mobile phones and computers.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is also The largest cobalt producer in the worldIt is a strategic metal used in Manufacture most rechargeable batteries Global today. Although it is less abundant in the east of the country compared to the Katanga region, cobalt deposits are extracted in North and South Kivu.

These natural resources attract the attention of neighboring countries and form the axis of conflicts in the region. Armed groups such as the March 23 movement accuse the exploitation of these resources illegally to finance their activities, of complicity from companies inside and outside the country, as well as from neighboring countries.

The United Nations has taken many initiatives to combat illegal trafficking in minerals, including mechanisms to punish companies involved in this trade and prohibit weapons to combat their spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, the fight against the illegal exploitation of resources is still a major challenge.