U.S. envoy to Africa lakes region stepping down: State Department

The former U.S. senator, a Democrat from Wisconsin, has led U.S. efforts to end the conflict in Central Africa's Great Lakes region since June 2013 when he said he would stay in the role for one year.

Some U.S. publications speculated that Feingold was leaving his Africa role to run for his old Senate seat in 2016.

"Special Envoy Feingold is stepping down sometime next month," Psaki told daily briefing. "We will continue to devote sustained, high-level attention to the Great Lakes region," she said, adding that a successor would be named.

He will deliver his last speech as special envoy at the U.S. Institute of Peace next week, she said.

Last month Feingold urged the Democratic Republic of Congo to set a date for a presidential election in 2016 and reiterated the United States' opposition to any delays in the election.

(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton and Susan Heavey; Editing by Eric Beech)