US sanctions top DRC electoral officials

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The U.S. on Friday sanctioned five top Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) electoral officials over "significant corruption" related to the country's December elections.

The State Department said "there are legitimate concerns over the conduct and transparency of the electoral process" in announcing actions which designated electoral commission President Corneille Nangaa, and the commission's vice president Norbert Basengezi Katintima in addition to three others.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also imposed visa restrictions on unspecified election officials, and officials in the military and government "believed to be responsible for, complicit in, or to have engaged in human rights violations or abuses or undermining of the democratic process in the DRC.

"These individuals enriched themselves through corruption, or directed or oversaw violence against people exercising their rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression," the agency said in a statement. "They operated with impunity at the expense of the Congolese people and showed a blatant disregard for democratic principles and human rights."

The Democratic Republic of Congo held elections Dec. 30 for its first-ever democratic transfer of power since the country achieved political independence in 1960 from Belgium. But the results have been scrutinized after the two declared losers contested the polls.

Opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi was declared winner by the electoral commission with 38.57 percent of the vote.