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Congo-Brazzaville - US Relations

The United States recognized the Republic of the Congo on August 15, 1960, in a congratulatory message from President Dwight D. Eisenhower to PresidentFulbert Youlou. On that date, the Republic of the Congo’s independence from French Equatorial Africa was proclaimed. Diplomatic relations were established on August 15, 1960, when Embassy Brazzaville was established with Alan W. Lukens as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim.

Diplomatic relations between the United States and Congo were broken during the most radical Congolese-Marxist period, 1965-77. Relations with the United States, which had been maintained on a friendly basis since the Congo achieved independence, were severely strained during 1965 by instances of arrest, detention incommunicado and, in two cases, expulsion of United States diplomats and officials by Congolese authorities.

In August 1965 the American secretary of state informed the Congolese ambassador that all official United States personnel were being withdrawn because improper treatment of them made it impossible to maintain representation. The United States cited instances of “serious mistreatment by the Congolese authorities of American diplomats and officials,” that included “arrest, detention, incommunicado interrogation, and forced departure.” Once the diplomatic and consular staff departed Brazzaville by August 15, 1965, Lloyd M. Rives served as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim until the Embassy closed. The Republic of Congo closed their embassy in Washington (August 8, 1965), and relocated them to New York.

At the time of withdrawal the Congolese government was informed that the United States would be prepared to consider reopening its embassy upon receiving meaningful assurances of respect for the full range of diplomatic rights, privileges, and immunities for official personnel. The embassy of West Germany represented United States interests in the Congo after the withdrawal of American personnel.

Addressing himself to the matter of the closing of the United States Embassy, President Massamba-Debat declared that his country had never been hostile to the United States and alleged that the incidents which led to the withdrawal of United States representa¬tives resulted from the use of American military aid against his country's interests by the Tshombe government in Congo (Kinshasa). "In other countries," he said, "the American Embassy would have been burned to the ground." Congolese representatives were with¬drawn from Washington and assigned to the Congo United Nations mission in New York.

On June 7, 1977, the United States and the Republic of Congo agreed to resume diplomatic relations, hoping that “this step will strengthen relations between their countries and contribute substantially to bettering their mutual understanding and cooperation based upon the principles of reciprocal respect, sovereign equality, and non-interference in internal affairs.” The U.S. Embassy reopened on October 30, 1977, with Jay Katzen as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim. This marked the restoration of relations, which remained distant until the end of the socialist era.

The late 1980s were marked by a progressive warming of Congolese relations with Western countries, including the United States. Congolese President Denis Sassou-Nguesso made a state visit to Washington in 1990, where he was received by President George H.W. Bush.

With the advent of democracy in 1991, Congo's relations with the United States improved and were cooperative. The United States has enthusiastically supported Congolese democratization efforts, contributing aid to the country's electoral process. The Congolese Government demonstrated an active interest in deepening and broadening its relations with the United States. Transition Prime Minister Andre Milongo made an official visit to Washington in 1992, where President Bush received him at the White House.

Then-presidential candidate Pascal Lissouba traveled to Washington in 1992, meeting with a variety of officials, including Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Herman J. Cohen. After his election in August 1992, President Lissouba expressed interest in expanding U.S.-Congo links, seeking increased U.S. development aid, university exchanges, and greater U.S. investment in Congo.

With the outbreak of the 1997 war, the U.S. Embassy was evacuated. The Embassy was closed, and its personnel became resident in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 2001 suspensions of Embassy operations were lifted, and Embassy personnel were allowed to travel to Brazzaville for periods of extended temporary duty from the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa. In 2003, U.S.-Congo bilateral relations were reinvigorated, and a site for construction of a new Embassy was acquired in July 2004. Diplomatic activities, operations, and programs were carried out in a temporary bank location until January 2009, when a new, fully functioning Embassy was opened. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson traveled to Brazzaville in 2010.

President Bush welcomed President Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo to the White House on June 5, 2006. The President looked forward to working with President Sassou-Nguesso, the current Chairman of the African Union. The two leaders discussed implementation of the May 5, 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement, NATO assistance to strengthen the African Union Mission in Sudan and the follow-on U.N. mission, United Nations authorization to promptly transition to a U.N. peacekeeping force, and ways to strengthen democracy and improve the lives of the Congolese people.

“The United States is profoundly disappointed by the flawed presidential electoral process in the Republic of Congo,” said State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner in a written statement April 15, 2016. “The United States calls upon the Congolese Government to correct these numerous deficiencies before scheduling legislative elections in order to bring credibility to future electoral processes. We continue to urge the Congolese Government to respect the people’s constitutional rights of freedom of expression, movement, and association. We further encourage all parties to engage in constructive, inclusive dialogue.”