UNITED NATIONS peacekeepers handed over their first military base to security forces in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Wednesday as part of an eventual withdrawal after decades of a “failed” mission in the country. 

The handover comes as violence soars in the conflict-riddled region.

Peacekeepers transferred responsibility and equipment at their base in Kamanyola in South Kivu province to the national police as part of a phased pullout agreed between the government and the UN last year.