Bintou Keita, the head of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), concluded her tenure abruptly on November 30, ending nearly five years at the helm of one of the world’s largest peacekeeping operations.
According to the UN mission, her departure, initially scheduled for February 2026, was brought forward to the end of November 2025 for “personal reasons.” Ms. Keita assumed her post in February 2021, navigating a period marked by persistent armed violence, recurring offensives (notably from the M23), and increasing domestic pressure against peacekeeping personnel.
Throughout her mandate, the seasoned diplomat faced a triple emergency: protecting civilians, stabilizing the conflict zones, and preparing for the mission’s gradual withdrawal, which the Congolese government strongly desired.
Early in her tenure, she faced the sudden eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano. Ms. Keita ordered the swift relocation of over 3,000 UN staff, mobilized engineering units, and supported volcanological monitoring, prioritizing the protection of human life.
Later, confronted with the M23’s renewed offensive in North Kivu, the head of mission spent several days in the field overseeing delicate evacuations. In June 2025, she met with the rebel movement in Goma, stating that it had “expressed its willingness to find a peaceful solution.”
Her leadership was also marked by violent anti-MONUSCO protests in 2022. She strongly condemned the attacks against peacekeepers, stating that “attacking peacekeepers is attacking the protection of civilians,” and sounded the alarm about the rise of hate speech and disinformation.
Under her leadership, a joint transition plan was signed in September 2021, establishing the framework for MONUSCO’s gradual withdrawal. The mission subsequently withdrew from Tanganyika, South Kivu, and Kasai between 2021 and 2024, transferring equipment to the Congolese authorities. Ms. Keita consistently emphasized that “The departure of MONUSCO does not mean the departure of the UN.”
Her early departure comes amid heightened diplomatic tensions, with Kinshasa demanding the removal of a mission spokesperson, the AFC/M23 faction accusing MONUSCO of being a “defeated belligerent entity,” and Kigali viewing the mission as too close to the Congolese government. MONUSCO is now primarily focused on its operations in North Kivu and Ituri.
RNK/Sf/fss/abj/APA