press releases

United States Embassy Opens Office in Eastern Congo

December 4, 2007

At the request of President Kabila, the Government of the United States has established an office in Goma, province of North Kivu, as part of its Embassy in Kinshasa. The decision to deploy a U.S. representative to Goma came shortly after President Kabila’s September meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in New York. The Goma office was also discussed during President Kabila's October 26 visit with President Bush at the White House. U.S. diplomat Haywood Rankin arrived in Goma on November 27. Prior to arriving in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mr. Rankin served in U.S. diplomatic missions in a number of Middle Eastern and African nations.

The purpose of opening an embassy office in eastern Congo is to monitor current political developments, liaise with Congolese officials, and provide support for U.S. and multilateral economic development projects and humanitarian relief efforts in the region. As reflected in the U.S. Government’s continued commitment to the restoration of peace and stability to the region, the embassy office in Goma will facilitate actions to achieve political and diplomatic solutions to the varied and complex issues facing North Kivu. The U.S. embassy office in Goma will not provide consular services.   

The United States believes that every effort should be made to help the Democratic Republic of the Congo become a center for development and prosperity in Central Africa, in a political environment sustained by democracy, order, and the rule of law. The U.S. Government supports, and will continue to support, the government of the DRC in its mission to build a stable and peaceful Congo.