U.S. says receives credible terrorist threat against facilities in Congo

KINSHASA - 25 November 2018: The U.S. embassy in Democratic Republic of Congo said on Saturday it had received "credible and specific information of a possible terrorist threat against U.S. government facilities" in the capital, Kinshasa.

The e-mailed security alert sent to U.S. citizens added that the Kinshasa embassy would be closed to the public on Monday, Nov. 26.

The statement did not elaborate on the nature of the threat, and the embassy declined to comment further. None of the State Department's designated foreign terrorist organizations are known to have major operations in Congo.

The country's political situation, however, is tense. Campaigning got underway on Thursday for a Dec. 23 presidential election that is meant to select incumbent Joseph Kabila's successor.

Repeated delays to the election over the past two years sparked street protests in which security forces killed dozens of demonstrators and worsened militia violence across the country.