'Don't go the DRC'

2005-06-25 13:25

Washington - United States citizens have been advised against travelling to the Democratic Republic of Congo following recent violence and potential for more unrest there, the State Department said on Friday.

It renewed a travel warning issued in March 30, highlighting fighting in North and South Kivu, Ituri District, and other areas of eastern Congo.

Wide-scale civil unrest broke out in May and June 2004, with rioting and looting in many cities, including the capital Kinshasa, and resulted in United Nations peacekeeper and civilian casualties.

"The challenges of implementing national elections raise the possibility of further civil disturbance over the next several months," the department said in a statement.

It added that the extension of the transitional government beyond June 2005 has prompted some opposition groups to call for large-scale demonstrations in Kinshasa and throughout the country around next week.

Tensions run high in Kinshasa because of the presence of troops and other armed forces in the wake of a conflict that dragged in the armies of half a dozen other African nations on rival sides, while a UN mission of some 17 600 people is monitoring a transition that has seen numerous setbacks.

- AFP