FEINGOLD VISITS AFRICA TO FOCUS ON
REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES
Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs
Will Visit Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda During Eighth Visit
to the Continent
August 24, 2007
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is traveling through
the African countries of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda
to focus on security issues and their regional and international impact.
For Feingold, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee
on African Affairs, the trip marks his eighth visit to the continent
during his tenure in the U.S. Senate. Senator Feingold will meet
with a number of political and military leaders throughout the region
and will focus on a broad range of issues including the DRC’s
efforts at security sector reform, ongoing violence in eastern DRC,
and peace negotiations to end the conflict in northern Uganda.
Feingold will also focus on the proposed U.S. military command in Africa
or AFRICOM.
“It is in the security interest of these African nations, the
United States and the international community as a whole that democracies
and good governance take root in this critical region of Africa,”
Feingold said. “As chairman of the African Affairs subcommittee,
I hope that my visit will provide us with a better understanding of
what more we can do to help bring peace and security to a region that
has been crippled by violence for years. I’m looking forward
to meeting with elected officials, military leaders, diplomats, and
others to gain a better understanding of how far we’ve come, how
far we need to go, and how the U.S. can continue to be a good partner
in achieving these goals.”
Feingold has followed issues in the region very closely from his position
on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Select Committee
on Intelligence. On July 18th, Senator Feingold held a subcommittee
hearing on democratic developments in sub-Saharan Africa including a
focus on the DRC’s first free and open election in almost four
decades. On August 1st, Senator Feingold held a hearing on AFRICOM,
the U.S. military’s Africa combatant command, which is still in
its nascent phase. Earlier this year, the Senate passed a resolution
sponsored by Senator Feingold calling for recommitment to the Ugandan
peace talks and for increased U.S. engagement. And just this week,
Senator Feingold sent a letter to World Bank President Zoellick regarding
the mismanagement of natural resources in the DRC.
Feingold last visited the continent in late 2006 when he toured the
Horn of Africa including Kenya and Ethiopia to monitor the situation
in Somalia. Feingold has been a member of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee as well as the Subcommittee on African Affairs during his
entire fourteen-year tenure as a U.S. Senator.
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