President joseph kabila
EU calls for DR Congo vote results to reflect people's will
Elections held last Sunday will determine who succeeds President Joseph Kabila, at the helm of sub-Saharan Africa's biggest country for nearly 18 years.
The State Department says Joseph Kabila's decision not to run for a third term represents a significant step forward for Congolese democracy.
The announcement by spokesman Lambert Mende at a news conference puts an end to years of speculation about whether Joseph Kabila would defy term limits to run for a third term.
The UN is seeking $2.2bn to support about 13m people in Congo this year, including 2.2m children with severe acute malnutrition that makes them susceptible to death from the disease.
Elections in Democratic Republic of Congo are scheduled for 23 December, two years after Kabila’s mandate officially expired.
The bill was adopted by parliament late in January but the industry has been lobbying Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila not to sign it.
Kabila’s refusal to step down at the end of his mandate in December 2016 has triggered a series of street protests in which scores have been killed in Kinshasa.
A Reuters cameraman who was filming the church service said police fired a volley of teargas outside, apparently to prevent the gathering turning into another political demonstration.
Joseph Kabila was not at the property during the attack which took place overnight from Sunday to Monday.
Human Rights Watch released a report into violence in the central African country earlier on Monday.
Speaking at a news conference in the capital Kinshasa, electoral commission president Corneille Nangaa said around 43 million voters had so far been registered for the vote.
President Jacob Zuma has concluded his visit to Zambia, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo to strengthen socio-economic relations.
Michael Sharp and Zaida Catalan were killed in central Congo on 12 March while carrying out investigations for a report to the UN Security Council.
Joseph Kabila’s constitutional mandate as president ran out last November.
The DRC’s electoral commission gave notice on Sunday that delays in registering voters mean elections are unlikely this year.
Congo's independence day parades, held each of the last three years, are usually festive events that mark the end of Belgian colonial rule in 1960.
After deadly protests against his clinging to power, President Joseph Kabila agreed to hold elections this year.
President Jacob Zuma says the people of the DRC need to determine and decide their internal political future.
Presidents Jacob Zuma and Joseph Kabila are meeting for the 10th bi-national commission between the two countries.