US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken encouraged the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to hold "free, fair and timely elections" while , the Congolese opposition leader was arrested as soon as Brinken arrived in the country for a short visit.
“In the last 24 hours, we have seen that the detention of opposition political leaders may undermine the importance of creating the right environment for elections and civic space.
``We are trying to get more facts. We have raised this with our colleagues here in the government. We fully respect the laws of the DRC,” he said. DRC President Felix Tshisekedi's political ally and current opposition leader was arrested.
His lawyer said Kabundo was accused of insulting the head of state. The two had a falling out earlier this year, and Kaband launched his own political crusade.
Earlier Wednesday, Brinken was sent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Kinshasa, according to the State Department. He met with Prime Minister Jean-Michel Samarconde and "discussed the importance of organizing and holding free and fair elections scheduled for 2023."
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide an additional $10 million to promote peaceful political participation and transparency in DRC elections. This brings her total US support for the Congolese elections to $23.75 million.
The Central African country will hold presidential, legislative and provincial elections next year.
Some information in this report was obtained from Reuters.
