M23 hails South Africa’s Monusco exit as ‘responsible’ after 27 years - The EastAfrican

The withdrawal of South African troops from the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monusco) marks a watershed moment for Central African geopolitics, with profound implications for foreign investment flows and business continuity in one of Africa's most resource-rich yet conflict-prone regions. After nearly three decades of deployment, South Africa's decision to exit the 27-year peacekeeping mission represents a significant shift in regional power dynamics. The M23 rebel group's characterization of the departure as "responsible" underscores the complex relationship between major military actors and armed groups operating across the DRC-Rwanda border, where territorial control directly influences access to high-value mineral assets critical to global supply chains. For European investors and entrepreneurs, this development carries multilayered consequences. The DRC remains a cornerstone of global mineral supply, producing approximately 70% of the world's cobalt and controlling vast copper reserves essential for the European Union's green energy transition and battery manufacturing sector. Monusco's effectiveness has been consistently questioned by security analysts, yet its presence—however limited—has provided a thin layer of institutional oversight in volatile provinces. South Africa's exit creates an operational vacuum that may accelerate mineral extraction in destabilized zones while simultaneously increasing operational risks for legitimate mining