On 19 December 2023 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2717 on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Resolution 2717 extends the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC (MONUSCO) until 20 December 2024, with a strategic priority to contribute to the protection of civilians, and underlines that the Mission’s withdrawal should be accompanied by a simultaneous strengthening of the State’s capabilities and authority, in particular the presence of State defence and security forces to avoid any security gaps. The resolution also recalls “that the Government of the DRC bears the primary responsibility to protect civilians within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction, including from international crimes.”