Congo to receive $30m aid for electoral process

The U.S. will disburse 30 million U. S. dollars to support the electoral process and security operations in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday in Kinshasa. "I spoke with President Joseph Kabila on the issue of term limits. People must understand the roles of elections and elections should respect constitutional provisions," Kerry said after meeting with the Congolese president. He said the 30 million dollars will go towards strengthening transparency institutions and to support actions in the eastern parts of the country where armed groups are still active. "We hail the efforts against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) but force cannot guarantee lasting peace," Kerry said, adding that "there was need to maintain pressure on FDLR." He said the situation in the east of DR Congo was his priority as well as that of President Barack Obama. The U.S. Secretary of State arrived in Kinshasa on Saturday and left for Angola on Sunday.