UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Friday voted to renew the mandate of the peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for another year.
Resolution 2556, adopted with 14 votes in favor and one abstention, extends the mandate known as MONUSCO until Dec. 20, 2021.
The resolution also decides that MONUSCO's authorized troop ceiling will comprise 14,000 military personnel, 660 military observers and staff officers, 591 police personnel, and 1,050 personnel of formed police units.
The resolution demands that all armed groups immediately cease all forms of violence and other destabilizing activities.
It strongly condemns all armed groups operating in the DRC and their violations of international humanitarian law as well as other applicable international law, and abuses of human rights.
MONUSCO took over from an earlier UN peacekeeping operation in the DRC on July 1, 2010. It has been authorized to protect civilians, humanitarian personnel and human rights defenders and to support the government of the DRC in its stabilization and peace consolidation efforts.
