Evacuation of disarmed DR Congo troops begins from Goma
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it began facilitating the evacuation of several hundred disarmed Democratic Republic of Congo troops and police from Goma.
The personnel, along with their family members, were stationed at the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) military base in Goma and will be transported to the capital, Kinshasa, where the organization says authorities will “take responsibility” for them upon arrival.
The ICRC said the operation will take place over several days.
The evacuation came after lengthy negotiations between United Nations representatives, the DR Congo government, and M23 rebel forces.
The operation comes at a time when regional peacekeeping efforts are undergoing transitions.
On Tuesday, the first batch of Southern African Development Community troops left eastern DR Congo through Rwanda, as the bloc began its planned withdrawal from the region.
