Washington, D.C. — United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will stop in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as part of a trip next week to the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

Sean McCormack, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, in announcing Rice's upcoming trip, said on Monday that Rice will travel to the DRC to mark last year's election, the country's first multiparty election since 1965.

"It's important to mark the fact that they are working hard to push in the right direction," McCormack said.

Some Western observers are increasingly worried about the future of DRC's government. In a report released last week, International Crisis Group, a think-tank based in Brussels, argued that President Joseph Kabila's government has underperformed and is at a serious risk.

McCormack called Rice's visit "important" and DRC "an important country in the region."

Rice will also participate in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum in Accra, Ghana during her trip. The United States Congress approved AGOA in 2000 with the goal of strengthening economies in Africa.