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Reuters

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that American military personnel had been deployed to Gabon in response to possible violent demonstrations in the Democratic Republic of Congo after a presidential election there.
In a letter to congressional leaders, Trump said the first of about 80 military personnel arrived in Gabon on Wednesday in case they are needed to protect US citizens and diplomatic facilities in Congo’s capital Kinshasa.

He said they “will remain in the region until the security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo becomes such that their presence is no longer needed”.
Trump said additional forces may deploy to Gabon “if necessary”.
Congo’s electoral commission is expected to release provisional results of the presidential election on Sunday, but it has said there could be delays because of the slow arrival of tally sheets.
Behind the secret U.S. war in Africa
Observers and the opposition say the election was marred by serious irregularities. Congo’s government says the election was fair and went smoothly.
President Joseph Kabila’s ruling coalition is backing his hand-picked successor Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary.

The international community has raised concerns that a disputed result could cause unrest, as was the case after the 2006 and 2011 elections.
On Thursday, the US State Department called on the electoral commission to ensure votes were accurately counted and threatened to impose sanctions against those who undermined the process or threatened peace and stability in the country.


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Donald Trump

US sends small military force to Africa amid DR Congo’s post-election tension

US President Donald Trump speaking at a military briefing during an unannounced trip to Iraq. Photo: AFP

Men remove an electoral campaign banner of Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, former Congolese interior minister and presidential candidate, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, January 2, 2019. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

Election officials tape voter registration lists to a wall of the Les Anges primary school in Kinshasa, Congo, as voters start to check their names, Sunday Dec. 30, 2018. The election process was delayed when voters burned six voting machines and ballots midday, angered by the fact that the registrations lists had not arrived. Replacement machines had to be brought in, and voting started at nightfall, 12 hours late. Forty million voters are registered for a presidential race plagued by years of delay and persistent rumors of lack of preparation. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

News

World

United States & Canada

Africa

President Donald Trump says more troops will be deployed there ‘if necessary’ to protect US citizens and diplomatic facilities


President Donald Trump says more troops will be deployed there ‘if necessary’ to protect US citizens and diplomatic facilities.


Defence

US sends small military force to Africa amid DR Congo’s post-election tension

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}President Donald Trump says more troops will be deployed there ‘if necessary’ to protect US citizens and diplomatic facilities

President Donald Trump says more troops will be deployed there ‘if necessary’ to protect US citizens and diplomatic facilities