Cory A. Book; Benjamin I. Cardin; Richard J. Durbin; Christopher A. Coons and 3 other US senators criticized President Donald Trump for his support for the reduction of troops of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) by the Security Council on 28 March, in a context where the pockets of tension multiply in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
« The decision of the Security Council of March 2017, supported by your Administration, to reduce the number of MONUSCO peacekeepers left the UN mission poorly equipped to ensure security in the east of the DRC and to respond to recent violence in the other parts of the country, » they wrote in their letter to the White House on 3 October.
According to them, « the deployment in low numbers and lack of resources by MONUSCO can lead to loss in human lives. »
During negotiations between members of the Security Council at the end of March, President Donald Trump suggested that the US would reduce US funding to the UN. As a result, the UN mission’s military strength would decrease from 19,815 to 15,000, i.e. 4,815 less. i.e. 4 thousand 815 men less. Finally, resolution 2348, which extended the mandate of Monusco for one year, reduced its strength by only 3,500, also reducing its budget.
A few days before the examination of the same question, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, whom the resolution entrusted with carrying out a strategic study of MONUSCO in order to envisage an adaptation of its forces and a strategy for the exit of this mission, urged the UN member states to be cautious « in case of further budget cuts, as they could compromise its ability to fulfill its core obligations ».