The US president has nevertheless claimed that many migrants from the African country are among those entering the US
US President Donald Trump has said he has no knowledge about the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), but claims that many illegal immigrants in the US come from there, Africanews reports.
He made the comments on Thursday during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House. Trump alleged that prisons in a number of countries, not only in South America but also other continents, had released inmates who were now entering the US.
Apparently referring to the DR Congo, Trump said many individuals are arriving from the African nation, adding, “I don’t know what that is, but they came from the Congo and all over the world they came in.”
The DR Congo is the second-largest country in Africa, with more than 100 million people. The Republic of the Congo borders the DR Congo.
This is not the first time Trump has made controversial comments about African countries. In March, he quipped that “no one has ever heard” of Lesotho, a country in southern African which received $8 million in aid from the previous administration for international development projects.
In response, Lesotho’s foreign minister, Lejone Mpotjoane, stated that the government was shocked and offended by the remark. He said it was “quite insulting” and “disappointing” for the leader of a country that maintains a diplomatic mission in Lesotho to speak in such a manner. “I’m really shocked that my country can be referred to like that by the head of state,” Mpotjoane was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Earlier in the month, the US imposed a new set of reciprocal tariffs on imports from nearly 90 countries. A temporary 90-day pause and a reduced 10% tariff were announced later. The new tariffs affected 20 African countries, including Madagascar (47%), South Africa (30%), and the DR Congo (11%). Lesotho was hit with the highest tariff rate of 50%.
