US State Department Blocks Visas for 'Corrupt' Officials

A number of Congolese government officials accused of corruption or electoral malpractice will no longer be able to travel to the United States after the State Department imposed visa bans on them. 

The Department said the ban was part of US commitment to the war against corruption and  electoral malpractices. The agency declined to reveal the identity of those targeted by the ban.

This comes months before the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) holds its presidential election in December, which has been delayed for more than a year, to elect President Joseph Kabila's successor.

Kabila's second and final term in office expired in 2016, but many have seen the move to delay the presidential poll as an attempt to cling on power.