US deploys 80 troops over possible violence in DRC

By Ahmet Salih Alacaci

ANKARA (AA) - U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that 80 military personnel have been deployed to the capital of Gabon over possible violence in the nearby Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over its recent presidential elections.

In a letter to congressional leaders, Trump said the troops had been deployed to Libreville in order to “support the security” of U.S. citizens, personnel and diplomatic facilities in Kinshasa, DRC.

He added that the first batch of troops arrived in the Central African country on Wednesday, with the possibility of additional forces being sent “if necessary”.

“These deployed personnel 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,” he said.