According to the resolution, the core area of MONUSCO operations remains North Kivu and Ituri, with any deployment related to the monitoring of the ceasefire in South Kivu subject to security conditions and prior notification to the Council.
The mission Force Intervention Brigade was also extended on an “exceptional basis”, with the Council underlining that a precedent had been set. The specialized force was established in 2013 and was tasked with disrupting and disarming armed groups.
The resolution also highlights what it calls a “rapidly worsening security and humanitarian crisis” in eastern DRC due to the armed group M23 (March 23 Movement) offensive in North Kivu and South Kivu “with the direct support and participation of the Rwandan Armed Forces.”
It further condemns the group’s seizure of Uvira, a strategic town in South Kivu on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, warning that this risks destabilizing the wider region.
What MONUSCO is responsible for
- Protect citizens who are under threat of physical violence, including through a proactive attitude, early warning, community involvement and local mediation.
- Use “all necessary measures” to prevent, deter and stop attacks on civiliansalso in and around displaced persons and refugee locations.
- Neutralize armed groups through targeted offensive operations by the Force Intervention Brigade, acting alone or together with the Congolese armed forces.
- Support a permanent ceasefireincluding by helping to implement and monitor the Doha ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism and by supporting regional verification efforts.
- Assisting with disarmament, demobilization and reintegrationsecurity sector reform, and monitoring and reporting on human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law.
- Help monitor the arms embargoincluding by observing cross-border flows of weapons and related equipment and reporting to the Group of experts established by resolution 1533.
Read the full text of the resolution here.
National perspectives
France, the pen holder on the file, said the Council negotiated the draft under “unusual circumstances” as the M23 continued its offensive in South Kivu.
“In light of the seriousness and urgency of the situation, and following this resolution, France calls on all parties to fulfill their obligations to achieve lasting peace in the east of the DRC and in the Great Lakes region,” Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont said in introducing the text.
The United States said negotiations were “again disrupted” by M23 advances “supported by Rwandan forces,” and urged the group to honor its Doha commitments.
“M23 must immediately withdraw at least 75 kilometers from Uvira and return to compliance with all its obligations under the Framework Agreement,” said Jennifer Locetta, Ambassador and Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs.
While China and Russia supported the renewal, they emphasized that the mandate was the product of difficult compromises and warned against politicizing the mission.
Sun Lei, ambassador and deputy permanent representative of China, said the council must uphold the operation’s “independence, neutrality and authority.”
He stressed that China “strongly supports” the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the DRC, adding that “all countries outside the region must truly remain committed to peace in the eastern DRC, and stop taking advantage of the situation and seeking economic resources and other selfish interests.”
Anna Evstigneeva, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative, said on behalf of Russia that her country expects detailed proposals on the modalities for MONUSCO’s role in ceasefire monitoring by March 1, 2026, while also calling on all parties to fulfill their obligations under Council resolutions.
“We call on the parties to cease fire and fulfill their obligations Security Council Resolution 2773, which sets out the main solutions to resolve this conflict for the benefit of the millions of residents of the DRC and other countries in the region,” she said.
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