Soldiers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo entered Goma city on December 3, 2012. Photo: AFP

The UN Security Council today authorized the deployment of an intervention brigade within the current United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to address imminent threats to peace and security. Resolution 2098 allows the use of a brigade to conduct offensive attacks with or without DRC support army against armed groups who are threatening the peace in the Congo. The objectives of the new force – which will be based in North Kivu province in eastern DRC and totals 3,069 peacekeepers – are to neutralize armed groups, reduce the threat they pose to State authority and civilian security, and clear areas for stabilization activities.