Kabila days are numbered. KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The United States is prepared to give Congo $30 million in aid for stability and democracy-building — but wants President Joseph Kabila to agree to step down at the end of his current term in office, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday. Kerry said Congos government also needs to schedule elections soon. The vote is tentatively set for 2016, although a firm date has not yet been set. In a private Sunday meeting, Kerry said he urged Kabila to follow Congos constitution in the upcoming elections, which would prohibit him from running for a third consecutive term as president. It was not clear if Kabila agreed. Kerry also said he urged Kabila to lift a freeze on international adoptions of Congolese orphans. It is important to the people to be able to know what the process is, to have confidence in that process, Kerry told reporters after the meeting. The sooner the process is announced, the sooner that the date is set, the sooner people have an ability to be able to participate. And we believe it ought to be done in keeping with the constitutional process of the country. The $30 million U.S. pledge would more than doubles the $12 million in assistance given to Congo last year linked to elections and stability assistance. Some of the money could go to non-governmental organizations. Last year, total U.S. aid to Congo totaled about $210 million. The funding would help further stability efforts in Congo, which has been wracked by violence for two decades. Kerry said more must be done to combat Congo-based rebels, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, known by its French acronym, FDLR, whose members are accused of perpetrating the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda.
Posted on: Sun, 04 May 2014 17:56:49 +0000
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