Congo Seeks Departure of UN Peacekeepers

Congolese President Joseph Kabila is calling for the departure of United Nations peacekeepers from the country by September 2011 to allow Congo to “fly with its own wings,” The Associated Press reports. However, an internal U.N. report states that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is not yet signing off a fixed date for the troops’ withdrawal. Ban did recommend that the troops start withdrawing, starting with 2,000 troops, by June 2010.