| DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO Democratic Republic of the Congo Republique Democratique du Congo Joined United Nations: 20 September 1960 Human Rights as assured by their constitution Click here Updated 12/20/10 |
| CAPITAL |
| POPULATION |
| CHIEF OF STATE |
| SELECTION PROCESS |
Kinshasa
70,916,439
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality
due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death
rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by
age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality
due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death
rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by
age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)
Adolphe Muzito
Prime Minister since 10 October 2008
Prime Minister since 10 October 2008
Note - following the assassination of his father, Joseph Kabila
succeeded to the presidency which he retained through the
2003-2006 transition; he was subsequently elected president in
October 2006. Under the new constitution the president is elected
by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
elections last held 30 July 2006 with a second round held on 29
October 2006
Next scheduled election: 2011
succeeded to the presidency which he retained through the
2003-2006 transition; he was subsequently elected president in
October 2006. Under the new constitution the president is elected
by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
elections last held 30 July 2006 with a second round held on 29
October 2006
Next scheduled election: 2011
HEAD OF GOVERNMENT
SELECTION PROCESS
Prime minister appointed by the president
Next scheduled election: 2011
Next scheduled election: 2011
| DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS |
| ETHNIC GROUPS |
Over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the
Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population
Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population
| RELIGIONS |
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 10%
| GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE |
Republic with 10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and 1 city (ville); Legal system is based on a new constitution which was
adopted by referendum 18 December 2005; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Executive: Under the new constitution the president is elected by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last
held 30 July 2006 with a second round held on 29 October 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president
Legislative: Bicameral legislature consists of a National Assembly (500 seats; 61 members elected by majority vote in
single-member constituencies, 439 members elected by open list proportional-representation in multi-member constituencies; to
serve five-year terms) and a Senate (108 seats; members elected by provincial assemblies to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly - last held 30 July 2006 (next to be held in 2011); Senate - last held 19 January 2007 (next to be held
by 2012)
Judicial: Constitutional Court; Appeals Court or Cour de Cassation; Council of State; High Military Court; plus civil and military
courts and tribunals
adopted by referendum 18 December 2005; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Executive: Under the new constitution the president is elected by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last
held 30 July 2006 with a second round held on 29 October 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president
Legislative: Bicameral legislature consists of a National Assembly (500 seats; 61 members elected by majority vote in
single-member constituencies, 439 members elected by open list proportional-representation in multi-member constituencies; to
serve five-year terms) and a Senate (108 seats; members elected by provincial assemblies to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly - last held 30 July 2006 (next to be held in 2011); Senate - last held 19 January 2007 (next to be held
by 2012)
Judicial: Constitutional Court; Appeals Court or Cour de Cassation; Council of State; High Military Court; plus civil and military
courts and tribunals
| LANGUAGES |
French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
| BRIEF HISTORY |
Early Congo history covers most of the Congo River basin occupied today by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic
of the Congo, Angola's Cabinda province and northern Angola. 'Congo' and 'Congolese' refer to this area. Early Congo history
began with waves of Bantu migrations from 2000 BC to 500 AD moving into the basin from the northwest and covers the
precolonial states absorbed or overthrown by the colonial powers. The Bantu migrations added to and displaced the indigenous
Pygmy populations into the southern regions of the modern Congo states. The Bantu imported agriculture and iron-working
techniques from West Africa into the area, as well as establishing the Bantu language family as the primary set of tongues for the
Congolese. Subsequent migrations from the Darfur and Kordofan regions of Sudan into the north of Congo, as well as East
Africans migrating into the eastern Congo, added to the mix of ethnic groups. Bantu peoples began settling in the extreme northwest
of Central Africa in the beginning of the fifth century and then gradually started to expand southward. Their propagation was
accelerated by the transition from Stone-Age to Iron-Age techniques. The peoples living in the south and southwest were mostly
San and hunter-gatherer groups, whose technology involved only minimal use of metal technologies. The development of metal tools
during this time period revolutionized agriculture and animal husbandry. This led to the displacement of the hunter-gatherer groups in
the east and southeast. The tenth century marked the final expansion of the Bantu in West-Central Africa. Rising population soon
made intricate local, regional and foreign commercial nets possible, forming networks that traded mostly in salt, iron and copper. In
the fifth century, a society began to develop in the Upemba depression along the banks of the Lualaba River in Katanga. This
culture, known as the Upemba, would eventually evolve into the more significant Luba Empire, as well as the Lunda Kingdom. The
process in which the primitive original Upemba society transitioned into the Luba kingdom was gradual and complex. This transition
ran without interruption, with several distinct societies developing out of the Upemba culture prior to the genesis of the Luba. Each
of these societies based the foundation of their society on that of the one which preceded it (much in the way that many aspects of
Roman culture were borrowed from the Greeks). The fifth century saw this societal evolution develop in the area around present
day Kamilamba at the Kabambasee, which was followed and replaced by a number of other cultures which were based around the
cities of Sanga and Katango. The dominant political force of the Congo region prior to and during the initial arrival of Europeans
was the Kongo Empire. The Kongo was a highly developed state located primarily in the southwest portion of the modern Congo,
and also occupying portions of northern Angola and Cabinda. At its greatest extent, the empire reached from the Atlantic Ocean in
the west to the Kwango River in the east, and from the Point Noire in the north to the Loje River in the south. The eastern region of
the Congo [such as the province of Katanga] is particularly rich in mineral resources, especially diamonds. These trade goods would
also form, in addition to slaves, the backbone of the Kongo's trade with Europeans(primarily the Portuguese), upon their arrival. At
the Battle of Ambuila in 1665, the Portuguese forces from Angola defeated the forces of king Antonio I of Kongo; Antonio was
killed with many of his courtiers and the Luso-African author Manuel Roboredo, who had attempted to prevent this final war.
Nevertheless, the country continued to exist, at least in name, for over two centuries, until the realm was divided among Portugal,
Belgium, and France at the Conference of Berlin in 1884-1885. The Luba Kingdom arose out of the Upemba culture and was
founded by King Kongolo around 1585. The birth of the Lunda Kingdom is traced back to Ilunga Tshibinda who left his brother's
Luba Kingdom and married a princess from an area in the south of Katanga. Their son, Mwaant Yav or Mwata Yamvo formed the
central Lunda Kingdom there with a population of about 175,000 and became its ruler from 1660 to 1665. The Yeke Kingdom (or
Garanganze Kingdom) in Katanga was short-lived, existing from about 1856 to 1891 under one king, Msiri, a Nyamwezi (also
known as 'Yeke') from Tabora in Tanzania who got himself appointed as successor to a Wasanga chief west of the Luapula River
by defeating the chief's Lunda enemies. The Kuba Kingdom, or more accurately, the Kuba Federation, was a political entity (one
comprising a collection of approximately twenty Bantu ethnic groups) that began to develop out of a number of decentralized,
ethnically Bantu states (namely the Luba, the Leele, and the Wongo ethnic groups). The Belgians began attempting to gain the
acceptance of the Kuba in the early 1880s; however, the gifts Belgium attempted to give were always rejected and king aMbweeky
aMileng threatened to behead any foreign intruders. Eventually, after colonial officials were able to enforce their authority upon the
Kuba near the end of the 1800s, the entire region became increasingly unstable. However, the well-organized Kuba fought
relentlessly against the regime and the area was one of the main sectors of resistance to Belgium throughout its rule. On November
15, 1908, King Léopold II of Belgium formally relinquished personal control of the Congo Free State and the renamed Belgian
Congo came under the administration of the Belgian parliament, a system which lasted until independence was granted in 1960. The
Belgian administration might be most charitably characterized as paternalistic colonialism. The educational system was dominated by
the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant churches and the curricula reflected Christian and Western values. Agitation for
independence in the Congo arose fairly late, only becoming a prominent factor by the mid-1950s. Even this separatist spirit was far
more an anti-Belgian movement than one of Congolese nationalism. Following a series of riots and unrest, the Belgians realised they
could not maintain control of such a vast country. The Belgians announced on January 27, 1960 that they would relinquish control in
six months. The Congo was granted its independence on June 30, 1960, adopting the name "Republic of the Congo" (République
du Congo). As the French colony of Middle Congo (Moyen Congo) also chose the name Republic of Congo upon receiving its
independence, the two countries were more commonly known as Congo-Léopoldville and Congo-Brazzaville, after their capital
cities. In 1966, Joseph Désiré Mobutu changed the country's official name to Zaire. Through that time Zaire had to be the best name
for them. Even from this fleeting moment of independence democracy began to unravel. A military coup broke out in the capital and
rampant looting began. This rebellion was ended with the help of Belgian, British and US troops. They worked together and helped
with Congo. Unrest and rebellion plagued the government until 1965, when Lieutenant General Mobutu, by then commander in
chief of the national army, seized control of the country and declared himself president for five years. Mobutu quickly consolidated
his power and was elected unopposed as president in 1970. During the 1980s, Zaire remained a one-party state. By 1996, tensions
from the neighboring Rwanda war and genocide had spilled over to Zaire. Rwandan Hutu militia forces (Interahamwe), who had
fled Rwanda following the ascension of a Tutsi-led government, had been using Hutu refugees camps in eastern Zaire as a basis for
incursion against Rwanda. These Hutu militia forces soon allied with the Zairian armed forces (FAZ) to launch a campaign against
Congolese ethnic Tutsis in eastern Zaire. In turn, these Tutsis formed a militia to defend themselves against attacks. When the
Zairian government began to escalate its massacres in November 1996, the Tutsi militias erupted in rebellion against Mobutu.
Following failed peace talks between Mobutu and Kabila in May 1997, Mobutu left the country, and Kabila marched unopposed
to Kinshasa on May 20. Kabila named himself president, consolidated power around himself and the AFDL, and reverted the name
of the country to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Talks between Kabila and the rebel leaders (held in Sun City) lasted a full six
weeks (beginning in April 2002). In June they signed a peace accord in which Kabila would share power with former rebels. By
June 2003 all foreign armies except those of Rwanda had pulled out of Congo. DR Congo has a transitional government until the
election is over. A constitution was approved by voters and on July 30, 2006 the Congo held its first multi-party elections since
independence in 1960. On December 6, 2006 the Transitional Government came to an end as Joseph Kabila was sworn in as
President.
Source: Wikipedia: History of Democratic Republic of the Congo
of the Congo, Angola's Cabinda province and northern Angola. 'Congo' and 'Congolese' refer to this area. Early Congo history
began with waves of Bantu migrations from 2000 BC to 500 AD moving into the basin from the northwest and covers the
precolonial states absorbed or overthrown by the colonial powers. The Bantu migrations added to and displaced the indigenous
Pygmy populations into the southern regions of the modern Congo states. The Bantu imported agriculture and iron-working
techniques from West Africa into the area, as well as establishing the Bantu language family as the primary set of tongues for the
Congolese. Subsequent migrations from the Darfur and Kordofan regions of Sudan into the north of Congo, as well as East
Africans migrating into the eastern Congo, added to the mix of ethnic groups. Bantu peoples began settling in the extreme northwest
of Central Africa in the beginning of the fifth century and then gradually started to expand southward. Their propagation was
accelerated by the transition from Stone-Age to Iron-Age techniques. The peoples living in the south and southwest were mostly
San and hunter-gatherer groups, whose technology involved only minimal use of metal technologies. The development of metal tools
during this time period revolutionized agriculture and animal husbandry. This led to the displacement of the hunter-gatherer groups in
the east and southeast. The tenth century marked the final expansion of the Bantu in West-Central Africa. Rising population soon
made intricate local, regional and foreign commercial nets possible, forming networks that traded mostly in salt, iron and copper. In
the fifth century, a society began to develop in the Upemba depression along the banks of the Lualaba River in Katanga. This
culture, known as the Upemba, would eventually evolve into the more significant Luba Empire, as well as the Lunda Kingdom. The
process in which the primitive original Upemba society transitioned into the Luba kingdom was gradual and complex. This transition
ran without interruption, with several distinct societies developing out of the Upemba culture prior to the genesis of the Luba. Each
of these societies based the foundation of their society on that of the one which preceded it (much in the way that many aspects of
Roman culture were borrowed from the Greeks). The fifth century saw this societal evolution develop in the area around present
day Kamilamba at the Kabambasee, which was followed and replaced by a number of other cultures which were based around the
cities of Sanga and Katango. The dominant political force of the Congo region prior to and during the initial arrival of Europeans
was the Kongo Empire. The Kongo was a highly developed state located primarily in the southwest portion of the modern Congo,
and also occupying portions of northern Angola and Cabinda. At its greatest extent, the empire reached from the Atlantic Ocean in
the west to the Kwango River in the east, and from the Point Noire in the north to the Loje River in the south. The eastern region of
the Congo [such as the province of Katanga] is particularly rich in mineral resources, especially diamonds. These trade goods would
also form, in addition to slaves, the backbone of the Kongo's trade with Europeans(primarily the Portuguese), upon their arrival. At
the Battle of Ambuila in 1665, the Portuguese forces from Angola defeated the forces of king Antonio I of Kongo; Antonio was
killed with many of his courtiers and the Luso-African author Manuel Roboredo, who had attempted to prevent this final war.
Nevertheless, the country continued to exist, at least in name, for over two centuries, until the realm was divided among Portugal,
Belgium, and France at the Conference of Berlin in 1884-1885. The Luba Kingdom arose out of the Upemba culture and was
founded by King Kongolo around 1585. The birth of the Lunda Kingdom is traced back to Ilunga Tshibinda who left his brother's
Luba Kingdom and married a princess from an area in the south of Katanga. Their son, Mwaant Yav or Mwata Yamvo formed the
central Lunda Kingdom there with a population of about 175,000 and became its ruler from 1660 to 1665. The Yeke Kingdom (or
Garanganze Kingdom) in Katanga was short-lived, existing from about 1856 to 1891 under one king, Msiri, a Nyamwezi (also
known as 'Yeke') from Tabora in Tanzania who got himself appointed as successor to a Wasanga chief west of the Luapula River
by defeating the chief's Lunda enemies. The Kuba Kingdom, or more accurately, the Kuba Federation, was a political entity (one
comprising a collection of approximately twenty Bantu ethnic groups) that began to develop out of a number of decentralized,
ethnically Bantu states (namely the Luba, the Leele, and the Wongo ethnic groups). The Belgians began attempting to gain the
acceptance of the Kuba in the early 1880s; however, the gifts Belgium attempted to give were always rejected and king aMbweeky
aMileng threatened to behead any foreign intruders. Eventually, after colonial officials were able to enforce their authority upon the
Kuba near the end of the 1800s, the entire region became increasingly unstable. However, the well-organized Kuba fought
relentlessly against the regime and the area was one of the main sectors of resistance to Belgium throughout its rule. On November
15, 1908, King Léopold II of Belgium formally relinquished personal control of the Congo Free State and the renamed Belgian
Congo came under the administration of the Belgian parliament, a system which lasted until independence was granted in 1960. The
Belgian administration might be most charitably characterized as paternalistic colonialism. The educational system was dominated by
the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant churches and the curricula reflected Christian and Western values. Agitation for
independence in the Congo arose fairly late, only becoming a prominent factor by the mid-1950s. Even this separatist spirit was far
more an anti-Belgian movement than one of Congolese nationalism. Following a series of riots and unrest, the Belgians realised they
could not maintain control of such a vast country. The Belgians announced on January 27, 1960 that they would relinquish control in
six months. The Congo was granted its independence on June 30, 1960, adopting the name "Republic of the Congo" (République
du Congo). As the French colony of Middle Congo (Moyen Congo) also chose the name Republic of Congo upon receiving its
independence, the two countries were more commonly known as Congo-Léopoldville and Congo-Brazzaville, after their capital
cities. In 1966, Joseph Désiré Mobutu changed the country's official name to Zaire. Through that time Zaire had to be the best name
for them. Even from this fleeting moment of independence democracy began to unravel. A military coup broke out in the capital and
rampant looting began. This rebellion was ended with the help of Belgian, British and US troops. They worked together and helped
with Congo. Unrest and rebellion plagued the government until 1965, when Lieutenant General Mobutu, by then commander in
chief of the national army, seized control of the country and declared himself president for five years. Mobutu quickly consolidated
his power and was elected unopposed as president in 1970. During the 1980s, Zaire remained a one-party state. By 1996, tensions
from the neighboring Rwanda war and genocide had spilled over to Zaire. Rwandan Hutu militia forces (Interahamwe), who had
fled Rwanda following the ascension of a Tutsi-led government, had been using Hutu refugees camps in eastern Zaire as a basis for
incursion against Rwanda. These Hutu militia forces soon allied with the Zairian armed forces (FAZ) to launch a campaign against
Congolese ethnic Tutsis in eastern Zaire. In turn, these Tutsis formed a militia to defend themselves against attacks. When the
Zairian government began to escalate its massacres in November 1996, the Tutsi militias erupted in rebellion against Mobutu.
Following failed peace talks between Mobutu and Kabila in May 1997, Mobutu left the country, and Kabila marched unopposed
to Kinshasa on May 20. Kabila named himself president, consolidated power around himself and the AFDL, and reverted the name
of the country to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Talks between Kabila and the rebel leaders (held in Sun City) lasted a full six
weeks (beginning in April 2002). In June they signed a peace accord in which Kabila would share power with former rebels. By
June 2003 all foreign armies except those of Rwanda had pulled out of Congo. DR Congo has a transitional government until the
election is over. A constitution was approved by voters and on July 30, 2006 the Congo held its first multi-party elections since
independence in 1960. On December 6, 2006 the Transitional Government came to an end as Joseph Kabila was sworn in as
President.
Source: Wikipedia: History of Democratic Republic of the Congo
| ECONOMIC OVERVIEW |
The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - is slowly recovering from
two decades of decline. Conflict that began in May 1997 has dramatically reduced national output and government revenue,
increased external debt, and resulted in the deaths of more than 5 million people from violence, famine, and disease. Foreign
businesses curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating
environment. Conditions began to improve in late 2002 with the withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign troops. The
transitional government reopened relations with international financial institutions and international donors, and President KABILA
began implementing reforms, although progress has been slow and the International Monetary Fund curtailed their program for the
DRC at the end of March 2006 because of fiscal overruns. Much economic activity still occurs in the informal sector, and is not
reflected in GDP data. Renewed activity in the mining sector, the source of most export income, boosted Kinshasa's fiscal position
and GDP growth from 2006-2008, however, the government's review of mining contracts that began in 2006, combined with a fall
in world market prices for the DRC's key mineral exports inflicted major damage on the sector. An uncertain legal framework,
corruption, a lack of transparency in government policy are long-term problems for the mining sector and the economy as a whole.
The global recession cut economic growth in 2009 to less than half its 2008 level, but donor assistance and diligence on the part of
the central bank have brought foreign exchange reserves to their highest levels in 25 years after the financial crisis caused reserves to
fall to less than one day's worth of imports in early 2009. The DRC signed a new Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility with the
IMF this year.
Source: CIA World Factbook (select Congo, Democratic Republic of the)
two decades of decline. Conflict that began in May 1997 has dramatically reduced national output and government revenue,
increased external debt, and resulted in the deaths of more than 5 million people from violence, famine, and disease. Foreign
businesses curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating
environment. Conditions began to improve in late 2002 with the withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign troops. The
transitional government reopened relations with international financial institutions and international donors, and President KABILA
began implementing reforms, although progress has been slow and the International Monetary Fund curtailed their program for the
DRC at the end of March 2006 because of fiscal overruns. Much economic activity still occurs in the informal sector, and is not
reflected in GDP data. Renewed activity in the mining sector, the source of most export income, boosted Kinshasa's fiscal position
and GDP growth from 2006-2008, however, the government's review of mining contracts that began in 2006, combined with a fall
in world market prices for the DRC's key mineral exports inflicted major damage on the sector. An uncertain legal framework,
corruption, a lack of transparency in government policy are long-term problems for the mining sector and the economy as a whole.
The global recession cut economic growth in 2009 to less than half its 2008 level, but donor assistance and diligence on the part of
the central bank have brought foreign exchange reserves to their highest levels in 25 years after the financial crisis caused reserves to
fall to less than one day's worth of imports in early 2009. The DRC signed a new Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility with the
IMF this year.
Source: CIA World Factbook (select Congo, Democratic Republic of the)
| POLITICAL CLIMATE |
Under Laurent Kabila's regime, all executive, legislative, and military powers were first vested in the President, Laurent-Désiré
Kabila. The judiciary was independent, with the president having the power to dismiss or appoint. The president was first head of a
26-member cabinet dominated by the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (ADFL). Towards the end of the
90s, Laurent Kabila created and appointed a Transitional Parliament, with a seat in the buildings of the former Katanga Parliament,
in the southern town of Lubumbashi, in a move to unite the country, and to legitimate his regime. Kabila was assassinated on 16
January 2001 and his son Joseph Kabila was named head of state ten days later.
The younger Kabila continued with his father's Transitional Parliament, but overhauled his entire cabinet, replacing it with a group of
technocrats, with the stated aim of putting the country back on the track of development, and coming to a decisive end of the
Second Congo War. In October 2002, the new president was successful in getting occupying Rwandan forces to withdraw from
eastern Congo; two months later, an agreement was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and set up a
Transition Government, the make-up of which would allow representation for all negotiating parties. Two founding documents
emerged from this: The Transition Constitution, and the Global and Inclusive Agreement, both of which describe and determine the
make-up and organization of the Congolese institutions, until planned elections in July 2006, at which time the provisions of the new
constitution, democratically approved by referendum in December 2005, will take full effect and that is how it happened.
Source: Wikipedia: Politics of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kabila. The judiciary was independent, with the president having the power to dismiss or appoint. The president was first head of a
26-member cabinet dominated by the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (ADFL). Towards the end of the
90s, Laurent Kabila created and appointed a Transitional Parliament, with a seat in the buildings of the former Katanga Parliament,
in the southern town of Lubumbashi, in a move to unite the country, and to legitimate his regime. Kabila was assassinated on 16
January 2001 and his son Joseph Kabila was named head of state ten days later.
The younger Kabila continued with his father's Transitional Parliament, but overhauled his entire cabinet, replacing it with a group of
technocrats, with the stated aim of putting the country back on the track of development, and coming to a decisive end of the
Second Congo War. In October 2002, the new president was successful in getting occupying Rwandan forces to withdraw from
eastern Congo; two months later, an agreement was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and set up a
Transition Government, the make-up of which would allow representation for all negotiating parties. Two founding documents
emerged from this: The Transition Constitution, and the Global and Inclusive Agreement, both of which describe and determine the
make-up and organization of the Congolese institutions, until planned elections in July 2006, at which time the provisions of the new
constitution, democratically approved by referendum in December 2005, will take full effect and that is how it happened.
Source: Wikipedia: Politics of Democratic Republic of the Congo
| INTERNATIONAL DISPUTES |
Heads of the Great Lakes states and UN pledged in 2004 to abate tribal, rebel, and militia fighting in the region, including northeast
Congo, where the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), organized in 1999, maintains
over 16,500 uniformed peacekeepers; members of Uganda's Lords Resistance Army forces continue to seek refuge in Congo's
Garamba National Park as peace talks with the Uganda government evolve; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River
with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area; Uganda and DROC dispute Rukwanzi
island in Lake Albert and other areas on the Semliki River with hydrocarbon potential; boundary commission continues discussions
over Congolese-administered triangle of land on the right bank of the Lunkinda river claimed by Zambia near the DROC village of
Pweto
Congo, where the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), organized in 1999, maintains
over 16,500 uniformed peacekeepers; members of Uganda's Lords Resistance Army forces continue to seek refuge in Congo's
Garamba National Park as peace talks with the Uganda government evolve; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River
with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area; Uganda and DROC dispute Rukwanzi
island in Lake Albert and other areas on the Semliki River with hydrocarbon potential; boundary commission continues discussions
over Congolese-administered triangle of land on the right bank of the Lunkinda river claimed by Zambia near the DROC village of
Pweto
| REFUGEES AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDPS) |
Refugees (country of origin): 132,295 (Angola); 37,313 (Rwanda); 17,777 (Burundi); 13,904 (Uganda); 6,181 (Sudan); 5,243
(Republic of Congo)
IDPs: 1.4 million (fighting between government forces and rebels since mid-1990s; most IDPs are in eastern provinces) (2007)
(Republic of Congo)
IDPs: 1.4 million (fighting between government forces and rebels since mid-1990s; most IDPs are in eastern provinces) (2007)
| ILLICIT DRUGS |
One of Africa's biggest producers of cannabis, but mostly for domestic consumption; traffickers exploit lax shipping controls to
transit pseudoephedrine through the capital; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system
vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering
center (2008)
transit pseudoephedrine through the capital; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system
vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering
center (2008)
| HUMAN RIGHTS STATEMENTS, ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUES |
2009 Human Rights Report: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
March 11, 2010
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a nominally centralized republic with a population of approximately 68 million. The
president and the lower house of parliament (National Assembly) are popularly elected; the members of the upper house (the Senate) are
chosen by provincial assemblies. Multiparty presidential and National Assembly elections in 2006 were judged to be credible, despite
some irregularities, while indirect elections for senators in 2007 were marred by allegations of vote buying.
Internal conflict in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu, driven to a large degree by the illegal exploitation of natural resources,
as well as a separate conflict in the Haut Uele and Bas Uele districts of Orientale Province, in the northeast, had an extremely negative
effect on security and human rights during the year. An interethnic tribal conflict in Equateur Province increased both the refugee and
internally displaced persons (IDP) populations and further highlighted the fragile security situation.
At year's end, government control over many regions remained weak, particularly in North and South Kivu provinces. Civilian authorities
generally did not maintain effective control of the security forces. Military authorities sometimes did not maintain effective control of the
security forces. In instances where elements of the security forces committed abuses, it was often difficult to determine whether they
were following orders or acting independently, particularly in the east. There were extremely few reports of investigative, disciplinary, or
legal action by military or civilian authorities following the commission of such abuses by security forces.
In all areas of the country, the government's human rights record remained poor, and security forces continued to act with impunity
throughout the year, committing many serious abuses, including unlawful killings, disappearances, torture, and rape. Security forces also
engaged in arbitrary arrests and detention. Severe and life-threatening conditions in prison and detention facilities, prolonged pretrial
detention, lack of an independent and effective judiciary, and arbitrary interference with privacy, family, and home also remained serious
problems. Security forces retained and recruited child soldiers and compelled forced labor by civilians. Members of the security forces
also continued to abuse and threaten journalists, contributing to a decline in freedom of the press. Government corruption remained
pervasive. Security forces at times beat or threatened local human rights advocates and obstructed or threatened UN human rights
investigators. Discrimination against women and ethnic minorities, trafficking in persons, child labor, and lack of protection of workers'
rights continued to be pervasive throughout the country. Enslavement of Pygmies occurred.
Armed groups continued to commit numerous, serious abuses--some of which may have constituted war crimes--including unlawful
killings, disappearances, and torture. They also recruited and retained child soldiers, compelled forced labor, and committed widespread
crimes of sexual violence.
In January the governments of the DRC and Rwanda accelerated efforts to achieve a rapprochement, which they had initiated in late
2008. The two governments agreed to conduct joint military operations in North Kivu Province, in eastern DRC, to pursue, disarm, and
decrease the capacity of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), elements of extremist Rwandan Hutus whose
leaders were implicated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The military operations, which were called Umoja Wetu (Swahili for "Our
Unity"), began on January 20. Days later, Rwandan authorities arrested General Laurent Nkunda, leader of the Tutsi-led Congolese rebel
group, the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP). Rwandan forces officially withdrew from the DRC on February
25. Concurrently, the CNDP signed a cessation of hostilities agreement with the government, agreeing to integrate its forces into the
Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC). According to a December report by the international nongovernmental organization (NGO) Human
Rights Watch (HRW), the joint DRC-Rwandan operation resulted in civilian deaths.
Click here to read more »
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
March 11, 2010
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a nominally centralized republic with a population of approximately 68 million. The
president and the lower house of parliament (National Assembly) are popularly elected; the members of the upper house (the Senate) are
chosen by provincial assemblies. Multiparty presidential and National Assembly elections in 2006 were judged to be credible, despite
some irregularities, while indirect elections for senators in 2007 were marred by allegations of vote buying.
Internal conflict in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu, driven to a large degree by the illegal exploitation of natural resources,
as well as a separate conflict in the Haut Uele and Bas Uele districts of Orientale Province, in the northeast, had an extremely negative
effect on security and human rights during the year. An interethnic tribal conflict in Equateur Province increased both the refugee and
internally displaced persons (IDP) populations and further highlighted the fragile security situation.
At year's end, government control over many regions remained weak, particularly in North and South Kivu provinces. Civilian authorities
generally did not maintain effective control of the security forces. Military authorities sometimes did not maintain effective control of the
security forces. In instances where elements of the security forces committed abuses, it was often difficult to determine whether they
were following orders or acting independently, particularly in the east. There were extremely few reports of investigative, disciplinary, or
legal action by military or civilian authorities following the commission of such abuses by security forces.
In all areas of the country, the government's human rights record remained poor, and security forces continued to act with impunity
throughout the year, committing many serious abuses, including unlawful killings, disappearances, torture, and rape. Security forces also
engaged in arbitrary arrests and detention. Severe and life-threatening conditions in prison and detention facilities, prolonged pretrial
detention, lack of an independent and effective judiciary, and arbitrary interference with privacy, family, and home also remained serious
problems. Security forces retained and recruited child soldiers and compelled forced labor by civilians. Members of the security forces
also continued to abuse and threaten journalists, contributing to a decline in freedom of the press. Government corruption remained
pervasive. Security forces at times beat or threatened local human rights advocates and obstructed or threatened UN human rights
investigators. Discrimination against women and ethnic minorities, trafficking in persons, child labor, and lack of protection of workers'
rights continued to be pervasive throughout the country. Enslavement of Pygmies occurred.
Armed groups continued to commit numerous, serious abuses--some of which may have constituted war crimes--including unlawful
killings, disappearances, and torture. They also recruited and retained child soldiers, compelled forced labor, and committed widespread
crimes of sexual violence.
In January the governments of the DRC and Rwanda accelerated efforts to achieve a rapprochement, which they had initiated in late
2008. The two governments agreed to conduct joint military operations in North Kivu Province, in eastern DRC, to pursue, disarm, and
decrease the capacity of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), elements of extremist Rwandan Hutus whose
leaders were implicated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The military operations, which were called Umoja Wetu (Swahili for "Our
Unity"), began on January 20. Days later, Rwandan authorities arrested General Laurent Nkunda, leader of the Tutsi-led Congolese rebel
group, the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP). Rwandan forces officially withdrew from the DRC on February
25. Concurrently, the CNDP signed a cessation of hostilities agreement with the government, agreeing to integrate its forces into the
Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC). According to a December report by the international nongovernmental organization (NGO) Human
Rights Watch (HRW), the joint DRC-Rwandan operation resulted in civilian deaths.
Click here to read more »
14 June 2010
Human Rights Council
Fourteenth session Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to
development
Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston*
Mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo**
Summary
The Special Rapporteur visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 5 to 15 October 2009 to investigate allegations of unlawful
killings. His investigations focused on political killings in Kinshasa and Bas Congo; killings by rebels and the Congolese army in the Kivus
and in Province Orientale; and deaths in prisons. He also investigated incidents of sexual violence leading to death; the killing of accused
“witches”; the killing of human rights defenders and journalists; and vigilante killings.
In separate conflicts in the Kivus and Province Orientale, many hundreds of civilians were killed in 2009 by rebel groups, including the
Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR) and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), as well as by Government forces. In
both areas, there have been a series of poorly planned military operations by the Government and the United Nations which, while having
the laudable aim of neutralizing rebel forces, have achieved far too little and at a catastrophic civilian cost. The rebels have responded to
the military operations by launching devastating revenge attacks on the insufficiently protected civilian Congolese population, committing
widespread sexual violence, forced labour, kidnapping, looting, village burning and killings. Not only have the Government and the United
Nations failed to plan effectively for civilian protection in their operations, but the Government forces have themselves actively abused
the civilian population. In some cases, army abuses have been small scale and motivated by the poor pay and rations provided to soldiers.
In others, Congolese soldiers have massacred civilians in the Kivus perceived to support the rebels, or otherwise seen to be ethnic or
political rivals. The rapid and poorly conceived integration of former Congrès national pour la défense du peuple (CNDP) rebels,
including senior commanders accused of grave war crimes, into the Congolese army has been a primary cause of these large-scale
killings.
Despite Government claims that it has pushed the LRA out of Province Orientale, the group continues its brutal attacks on civilians.
Indeed, at the time of writing, LRA attacks, often resulting in the disfigurement of victims’ faces and death, were on the increase. In
addition, the deployment of units of ex-CNDP members into Province Orientale has also been accompanied by a rise in reports of army
abuses against the population. With military and rebel abuses encouraging the growth of local self-defence groups, long-term stability in
the province will be under serious threat unless the Government and the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo (MONUC) work to promote an accountable and effective security presence in Orientale.
In the west of the country, unaccountable and politicized security forces in Kinshasa and Bas Congo killed hundreds of opposition
supporters in 2007 and 2008. Despite the very real threat of further violence as the next election approaches, little international attention
is paid to the issue, and the Government has taken no steps to reform the security sector.
Click here to read more »
Human Rights Council
Fourteenth session Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to
development
Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston*
Mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo**
Summary
The Special Rapporteur visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 5 to 15 October 2009 to investigate allegations of unlawful
killings. His investigations focused on political killings in Kinshasa and Bas Congo; killings by rebels and the Congolese army in the Kivus
and in Province Orientale; and deaths in prisons. He also investigated incidents of sexual violence leading to death; the killing of accused
“witches”; the killing of human rights defenders and journalists; and vigilante killings.
In separate conflicts in the Kivus and Province Orientale, many hundreds of civilians were killed in 2009 by rebel groups, including the
Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR) and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), as well as by Government forces. In
both areas, there have been a series of poorly planned military operations by the Government and the United Nations which, while having
the laudable aim of neutralizing rebel forces, have achieved far too little and at a catastrophic civilian cost. The rebels have responded to
the military operations by launching devastating revenge attacks on the insufficiently protected civilian Congolese population, committing
widespread sexual violence, forced labour, kidnapping, looting, village burning and killings. Not only have the Government and the United
Nations failed to plan effectively for civilian protection in their operations, but the Government forces have themselves actively abused
the civilian population. In some cases, army abuses have been small scale and motivated by the poor pay and rations provided to soldiers.
In others, Congolese soldiers have massacred civilians in the Kivus perceived to support the rebels, or otherwise seen to be ethnic or
political rivals. The rapid and poorly conceived integration of former Congrès national pour la défense du peuple (CNDP) rebels,
including senior commanders accused of grave war crimes, into the Congolese army has been a primary cause of these large-scale
killings.
Despite Government claims that it has pushed the LRA out of Province Orientale, the group continues its brutal attacks on civilians.
Indeed, at the time of writing, LRA attacks, often resulting in the disfigurement of victims’ faces and death, were on the increase. In
addition, the deployment of units of ex-CNDP members into Province Orientale has also been accompanied by a rise in reports of army
abuses against the population. With military and rebel abuses encouraging the growth of local self-defence groups, long-term stability in
the province will be under serious threat unless the Government and the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo (MONUC) work to promote an accountable and effective security presence in Orientale.
In the west of the country, unaccountable and politicized security forces in Kinshasa and Bas Congo killed hundreds of opposition
supporters in 2007 and 2008. Despite the very real threat of further violence as the next election approaches, little international attention
is paid to the issue, and the Government has taken no steps to reform the security sector.
Click here to read more »
Freedom In The World 2010 Report
Political Rights Score: 6
Civil Liberties Score: 6
Status: Not Free
Trend Arrow
The Democratic Republic of Congo received a downward trend arrow due to the government’s continued harassment of
human rights groups and an increasingly dangerous working environment for journalists.
Overview
The government undertook several military operations against militia groups in the east in 2009, but civilians suffered widespread
displacement and abuses as a result of the intensified fighting, including at the hands of the Congolese army. National Assembly speaker
Vital Kamerhe, a vocal critic of the government’s military actions, was forced to resign amid growing indications that President Joseph
Kabila was seeking to centralize power. Opposition politicians, human rights activists, and the press continued to be targeted for attacks
and harassment, and the third journalist in as many years was killed in the eastern city of Bukavu.
Relations between the Congolese and Rwandan governments began to improve significantly in late 2008, and the two governments
signed an agreement to begin a joint military operation against the FDLR. The operation, which lasted from January to February 2009,
coincided with the surprise arrest in Rwanda of the CNDP’s Nkunda. Rwandan authorities agreed to extradite him to the DRC, but this
had not yet occurred at year’s end. The DRC also embarked on a joint military operation with Uganda from December 2008 to March
2009 to pursue the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a Ugandan rebel group.
Kabila made the decision to proceed with the joint operations without informing the National Assembly, and this drew criticism from
figures including the chamber’s speaker, PPRD member Vital Kamerhe. The AMP boycotted the opening of the National Assembly in
March after Kamerhe rejected calls for his resignation, but he relented later that month, announcing that he would establish a new
political party. Evariste Boshab of the PPRD was elected as the new speaker, though the opposition alleged vote fraud by the AMP.
Meanwhile, with Nkunda under arrest in Rwanda, the Congolese government and the CNDP signed a peace accord in March, and an
amnesty bill for acts of war in the affected provinces was passed into law, despite objections that the CNDP was the primary
beneficiary. The CNDP subsequently transformed itself into a political party under the leadership of Desire Kamandji.
In March, Congolese and UN forces began a military operation against the FDLR. As with previous campaigns, it led to severe suffering
for civilians, including reprisal killings by the FDLR. In July, the United Nations estimated that a total of 400,000 people had been
displaced in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. The operation ended in December, but the Congolese army and the United Nations
signed a new joint military operational order to begin in 2010.
Aside from the east, most parts of the country were relatively stable in 2009. However, large-scale violence broke out in October over
fishing rights in the western province of Equateur, causing the displacement of approximately 70,000 people. All of the DRC has been
devastated by the combined effects of war, economic crisis, and the breakdown of political and social institutions. At least four million
people have died since fighting began in 1994,and humanitarian groups estimate that 1,000 people continue to die each day. Critical health
and social services are nonexistent in many areas, and much of the country’s infrastructure has disintegrated. Congo was ranked 176
out of 182 countries on the UN Development Programme’s 2009 Human Development Index.
The DRC was granted access to the International Monetary Fund/World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative in 2003.
Despite significant efforts to restore economic vitality, the economy has yet to improve. Kabila has tried to break with the tradition of
printing money to meet budget shortfalls, but there have been reports that the central bank has counterfeited its own currency. In 2008,
the state signed a loan deal worth close to $9 billion with China’s Exim Bank. In return, China obtained a significant stake in a joint
venture with Gecamines, the state mining company, as well as rights to two large mining concessions. The opaque terms of this
agreement as well as the debt it entails have impeded negotiations between the government and the International Monetary Fund over a
new Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility.
Click here to read more »
Political Rights Score: 6
Civil Liberties Score: 6
Status: Not Free
Trend Arrow
The Democratic Republic of Congo received a downward trend arrow due to the government’s continued harassment of
human rights groups and an increasingly dangerous working environment for journalists.
Overview
The government undertook several military operations against militia groups in the east in 2009, but civilians suffered widespread
displacement and abuses as a result of the intensified fighting, including at the hands of the Congolese army. National Assembly speaker
Vital Kamerhe, a vocal critic of the government’s military actions, was forced to resign amid growing indications that President Joseph
Kabila was seeking to centralize power. Opposition politicians, human rights activists, and the press continued to be targeted for attacks
and harassment, and the third journalist in as many years was killed in the eastern city of Bukavu.
Relations between the Congolese and Rwandan governments began to improve significantly in late 2008, and the two governments
signed an agreement to begin a joint military operation against the FDLR. The operation, which lasted from January to February 2009,
coincided with the surprise arrest in Rwanda of the CNDP’s Nkunda. Rwandan authorities agreed to extradite him to the DRC, but this
had not yet occurred at year’s end. The DRC also embarked on a joint military operation with Uganda from December 2008 to March
2009 to pursue the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a Ugandan rebel group.
Kabila made the decision to proceed with the joint operations without informing the National Assembly, and this drew criticism from
figures including the chamber’s speaker, PPRD member Vital Kamerhe. The AMP boycotted the opening of the National Assembly in
March after Kamerhe rejected calls for his resignation, but he relented later that month, announcing that he would establish a new
political party. Evariste Boshab of the PPRD was elected as the new speaker, though the opposition alleged vote fraud by the AMP.
Meanwhile, with Nkunda under arrest in Rwanda, the Congolese government and the CNDP signed a peace accord in March, and an
amnesty bill for acts of war in the affected provinces was passed into law, despite objections that the CNDP was the primary
beneficiary. The CNDP subsequently transformed itself into a political party under the leadership of Desire Kamandji.
In March, Congolese and UN forces began a military operation against the FDLR. As with previous campaigns, it led to severe suffering
for civilians, including reprisal killings by the FDLR. In July, the United Nations estimated that a total of 400,000 people had been
displaced in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. The operation ended in December, but the Congolese army and the United Nations
signed a new joint military operational order to begin in 2010.
Aside from the east, most parts of the country were relatively stable in 2009. However, large-scale violence broke out in October over
fishing rights in the western province of Equateur, causing the displacement of approximately 70,000 people. All of the DRC has been
devastated by the combined effects of war, economic crisis, and the breakdown of political and social institutions. At least four million
people have died since fighting began in 1994,and humanitarian groups estimate that 1,000 people continue to die each day. Critical health
and social services are nonexistent in many areas, and much of the country’s infrastructure has disintegrated. Congo was ranked 176
out of 182 countries on the UN Development Programme’s 2009 Human Development Index.
The DRC was granted access to the International Monetary Fund/World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative in 2003.
Despite significant efforts to restore economic vitality, the economy has yet to improve. Kabila has tried to break with the tradition of
printing money to meet budget shortfalls, but there have been reports that the central bank has counterfeited its own currency. In 2008,
the state signed a loan deal worth close to $9 billion with China’s Exim Bank. In return, China obtained a significant stake in a joint
venture with Gecamines, the state mining company, as well as rights to two large mining concessions. The opaque terms of this
agreement as well as the debt it entails have impeded negotiations between the government and the International Monetary Fund over a
new Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility.
Click here to read more »
Demand Justice For Rape Survivors
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
25 November 2010
In August 2010, armed groups systematically raped more than 300 women, girls, men and boys in a four-day attack on villages in
Walikale, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Government security forces and UN peace keepers failed to protect them. Survivors
were left traumatized, in pain and without assistance.
At least 15,000 rapes took place in the DRC last year, says the UN. The number is likely to be much higher. The DRC government and
the UN are clearly failing to protect civilians and are not responding effectively to the crimes.
In September 2009, a month after she returned from the DRC, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presided over the UN Security
Council adoption of Resolution 1888. The Resolution sets out measures to protect civilians from sexual violence in times of armed
conflict. It also establishes how to respond effectively to the violence, including ensuring that those who commit the crimes are
prosecuted and that survivors have access to health care, psychosocial support, legal assistance and socioeconomic reintegration
services.
This December, the USA will re-assume the Presidency of the Security Council. Please call on Hillary Clinton to lead efforts to ensure
the full implementation of Resolution 1888 and end the widespread sexual violence against the people of the DRC.
Click here to read more »
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
25 November 2010
In August 2010, armed groups systematically raped more than 300 women, girls, men and boys in a four-day attack on villages in
Walikale, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Government security forces and UN peace keepers failed to protect them. Survivors
were left traumatized, in pain and without assistance.
At least 15,000 rapes took place in the DRC last year, says the UN. The number is likely to be much higher. The DRC government and
the UN are clearly failing to protect civilians and are not responding effectively to the crimes.
In September 2009, a month after she returned from the DRC, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presided over the UN Security
Council adoption of Resolution 1888. The Resolution sets out measures to protect civilians from sexual violence in times of armed
conflict. It also establishes how to respond effectively to the violence, including ensuring that those who commit the crimes are
prosecuted and that survivors have access to health care, psychosocial support, legal assistance and socioeconomic reintegration
services.
This December, the USA will re-assume the Presidency of the Security Council. Please call on Hillary Clinton to lead efforts to ensure
the full implementation of Resolution 1888 and end the widespread sexual violence against the people of the DRC.
Click here to read more »
DR Congo: Rogue Leaders, Rebels Forcibly Recruit Youth
Tensions Rise as Armed Groups Expand Their Ranks
December 20, 2010
(Goma) - Rogue Congolese army officers and armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are forcibly recruiting and
training for combat hundreds of young men and boys in new efforts to expand their ranks, Human Rights Watch said today. The wave
of military recruitment, which began around September 2010, signals a possible collapse of eastern Congo's peace process.
Human Rights Watch interviewed dozens of escaped recruits, as well as teachers, local leaders, and child protection workers, who
described the forced or underage recruitment of more than 1,000 young men and boys since September. At least 261 were under age 18.
Many of the children were re-recruited after previously escaping or being demobilized.
"Armed groups in eastern Congo are pulling youth from schools, homes, and fields and forcing them to fight," said Anneke Van
Woudenberg, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The Congolese government should urgently stop this recruitment and
prosecute those responsible."
Domestic and international law applicable in the Congo prohibits forced recruitment and the recruitment of children under 18 into armed
groups.
Recruitment by Former Rebels
The Congolese army general and former rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda and officers loyal to him, including Lt. Col. Innocent Zimurinda
and Col. Baudouin Ngaruye, have been responsible for the forced recruitment of hundreds of young men and boys in recent months in
North and South Kivu provinces, witnesses told Human Rights Watch. At least 121 of the new recruits are children, under age 18,
although reports received by Human Rights Watch indicate that there are probably many more.
Ntaganda was the military leader of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), a former rebel group supported by
neighboring Rwanda, who fought the Congolese army beginning in 2006. In January 2009, following an agreement between the
presidents of Congo and Rwanda, the CNDP agreed to give up its rebellion and integrate into the Congolese army's ranks. The
integration of the former enemies has been fraught with continuing tensions.
Although nominally in the Congolese army, Ntaganda maintains a parallel chain of command operating outside the army's military
hierarchy. Some former CNDP units have gone further, ending their participation in the integration process. New recruits are forced to
join the units under Ntaganda's parallel command structure.
Click here to read more »
Tensions Rise as Armed Groups Expand Their Ranks
December 20, 2010
(Goma) - Rogue Congolese army officers and armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are forcibly recruiting and
training for combat hundreds of young men and boys in new efforts to expand their ranks, Human Rights Watch said today. The wave
of military recruitment, which began around September 2010, signals a possible collapse of eastern Congo's peace process.
Human Rights Watch interviewed dozens of escaped recruits, as well as teachers, local leaders, and child protection workers, who
described the forced or underage recruitment of more than 1,000 young men and boys since September. At least 261 were under age 18.
Many of the children were re-recruited after previously escaping or being demobilized.
"Armed groups in eastern Congo are pulling youth from schools, homes, and fields and forcing them to fight," said Anneke Van
Woudenberg, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The Congolese government should urgently stop this recruitment and
prosecute those responsible."
Domestic and international law applicable in the Congo prohibits forced recruitment and the recruitment of children under 18 into armed
groups.
Recruitment by Former Rebels
The Congolese army general and former rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda and officers loyal to him, including Lt. Col. Innocent Zimurinda
and Col. Baudouin Ngaruye, have been responsible for the forced recruitment of hundreds of young men and boys in recent months in
North and South Kivu provinces, witnesses told Human Rights Watch. At least 121 of the new recruits are children, under age 18,
although reports received by Human Rights Watch indicate that there are probably many more.
Ntaganda was the military leader of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), a former rebel group supported by
neighboring Rwanda, who fought the Congolese army beginning in 2006. In January 2009, following an agreement between the
presidents of Congo and Rwanda, the CNDP agreed to give up its rebellion and integrate into the Congolese army's ranks. The
integration of the former enemies has been fraught with continuing tensions.
Although nominally in the Congolese army, Ntaganda maintains a parallel chain of command operating outside the army's military
hierarchy. Some former CNDP units have gone further, ending their participation in the integration process. New recruits are forced to
join the units under Ntaganda's parallel command structure.
Click here to read more »
TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH BY GOOGLE TRANSLATE
December 7, 2010
Interview of President Joseph Kabila in Kinshasa conducted on December 4
This year, the death of Floribert Chebeya shook public opinion. How did you feel at this moment?
When, on the eve of the Jubilee I was informed of this case, the first report that I have talked to an accident, it was about heart attack,
stroke. Finally, the surveys showed something else. It was not the time to lose someone like Chebeya. The key is that the trial is now
underway, hope the truth will burst. On the eve of June 30, this case was a huge shock to me ...
However Chebeya was highly critical about you ...
Yes, he was critical but he was only doing his job ...
This death has frightened the other defenders of human rights ...
They should not be afraid. I always said to the defenders of human rights that I was their foremost ally. I will always be there to defend
them.
Journalists are afraid, some of them were killed ...
They should not be afraid. We need them to denounce what is wrong, and what we do not know maybe, neither I nor my intelligence,
that perhaps we seek ... It is good prove things, but you must have the elements and not rely on rumors ...
Click here to read more »
December 7, 2010
Interview of President Joseph Kabila in Kinshasa conducted on December 4
This year, the death of Floribert Chebeya shook public opinion. How did you feel at this moment?
When, on the eve of the Jubilee I was informed of this case, the first report that I have talked to an accident, it was about heart attack,
stroke. Finally, the surveys showed something else. It was not the time to lose someone like Chebeya. The key is that the trial is now
underway, hope the truth will burst. On the eve of June 30, this case was a huge shock to me ...
However Chebeya was highly critical about you ...
Yes, he was critical but he was only doing his job ...
This death has frightened the other defenders of human rights ...
They should not be afraid. I always said to the defenders of human rights that I was their foremost ally. I will always be there to defend
them.
Journalists are afraid, some of them were killed ...
They should not be afraid. We need them to denounce what is wrong, and what we do not know maybe, neither I nor my intelligence,
that perhaps we seek ... It is good prove things, but you must have the elements and not rely on rumors ...
Click here to read more »
French envoy says DR Congo rights situation a 'shipwreck'
18 December 2010
KINSHASA — A French envoy on Saturday described the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a "shipwreck"
after a week-long visit to the country.
"I saw in Goma (eastern DR Congo) a prison with space for 140 people where 1,046 people were living in appalling conditions of
overcrowding and hygiene," said Francois Zimeray, French ambassador for human rights.
The inmates survived on little more than a "cup of beans once a day during the week and nothing on Saturday and Sunday," he said.
Zimeray said he also witnessed "the lot of women victims of sexual violence and the total lack of care by institutions."
The ambassador was speaking to AFP in Kinshasa at the end of his visit.
"There have been powerful moments which have given me the feeling of a shipwreck situation in relation to human rights" in the
country, he said.
In the city of Goma, he said, human rights activists were "threatened and living in an extremely hard and painful way."
The Congolese Justice and Human Rights Minister Emmanuel-Janvier Luzolo Bambi "did not deny the difficulties" and asked for more
support from the international community, said Zimeray.
Zimeray also met Fidele Banzana, whose husband, the driver of murdered human rights activist Floribert Chebeya, is missing, feared
killed. He described her plight as "incomprehensible and unacceptable."
Chebeya, 47, president of the human rights group Voice of the Voiceless (La Voix des sans Voix - VSV), was found dead on June 2 in
his car with his hands tied behind his back on the outskirts of Kinshasa after a scheduled meeting, which never took place, with a senior
police chief.
Click here to read more »
18 December 2010
KINSHASA — A French envoy on Saturday described the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a "shipwreck"
after a week-long visit to the country.
"I saw in Goma (eastern DR Congo) a prison with space for 140 people where 1,046 people were living in appalling conditions of
overcrowding and hygiene," said Francois Zimeray, French ambassador for human rights.
The inmates survived on little more than a "cup of beans once a day during the week and nothing on Saturday and Sunday," he said.
Zimeray said he also witnessed "the lot of women victims of sexual violence and the total lack of care by institutions."
The ambassador was speaking to AFP in Kinshasa at the end of his visit.
"There have been powerful moments which have given me the feeling of a shipwreck situation in relation to human rights" in the
country, he said.
In the city of Goma, he said, human rights activists were "threatened and living in an extremely hard and painful way."
The Congolese Justice and Human Rights Minister Emmanuel-Janvier Luzolo Bambi "did not deny the difficulties" and asked for more
support from the international community, said Zimeray.
Zimeray also met Fidele Banzana, whose husband, the driver of murdered human rights activist Floribert Chebeya, is missing, feared
killed. He described her plight as "incomprehensible and unacceptable."
Chebeya, 47, president of the human rights group Voice of the Voiceless (La Voix des sans Voix - VSV), was found dead on June 2 in
his car with his hands tied behind his back on the outskirts of Kinshasa after a scheduled meeting, which never took place, with a senior
police chief.
Click here to read more »
TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH BY GOOGLE TRANSLATE
PRESS RELEASE NO 059/RDC/VSV/CD/2010 HOUSING NOT AFFECTED BY AN ORDER GOVERNOR OF THE TOWN
DESTROYED BY THE POLICE IN KINSHASA/ Ngaliema
Kinshasa, 15 December 2010.
Voice of the Voiceless for Human Rights (VSV) expresses its deep disapproval against the demolition by members of the Police
National Congolese (PNC) structures erected in two (2) allowances lying plots numbers 10 and 14 bis of Brook Avenue (Avenue
Kilimani II), Joli Park neighborhood, near the town of Ngaliema Seminar St. John Catholic 23.
In total, some twelve (12) families are affected by this evil and barbaric destruction of homes belonging to third parties. Indeed,
Saturday, December 11, 2010, at dawn, around 5:00 am, ten (10) tenants and owners of two (2) parcels, allowances lying Avenue
above have been surprised by the landing on the scene a squad of some eleven (11) police-led Nana of a certain not further identified.
They are holders of an official document issued by the Town Kinshasa on the title: "Order No.SC/220/BCV/COTEC/MAN.L/2010 of 16
November 2010 concerning demolition of buildings erected on the chaotic riverbank Mampenza, Joli Park neighborhood in the town of
Ngaliema, signed by the governor of Kinshasa, Mr. Andre and Kimbuta Yango countersigned, for execution by the provincial Minister of
Affairs land, urban planning and housing in the city-province of Kinshasa, Mr. Antoine MUZINGU Bidinger.
Despite the fact that the houses erected on the avenue (or Creek (Mampenza II) are not affected by the Order of the Governor City,
police, using hammers, crowbars and other heavy equipment began to destroy the houses built in plots above steps until the total
settlement, and without any summation, management or compassion vis-à-vis the occupants of which some were in deep sleep and were
forced to evacuate Adam held.
This was followed by assault and beatings administered by the police against victims who wanted to resist against theft and destruction
of valuable property, extortion of money and equipment Communication ...
Many of the homeless, the majority of children are still low age and in solidarity, end up with the rest of their belongings and spend night
in the open, braving rain, cold, heat, weather ... and remain committed to their fate.
The steps taken by the parties concerned to the police stations Police near the scene of the accident during the demolition wicked, the
Ngaliema Communal House, the City Hall of Kinshasa, Provincial department of land affairs, urban planning and housing, still no
response to date. At last, the officers engaged in the operation of the demolition are instrumented for by some unspoken MWAMBA
living in the area who sought to expand its property until the place of demolition.
Click here to read more>>
PRESS RELEASE NO 059/RDC/VSV/CD/2010 HOUSING NOT AFFECTED BY AN ORDER GOVERNOR OF THE TOWN
DESTROYED BY THE POLICE IN KINSHASA/ Ngaliema
Kinshasa, 15 December 2010.
Voice of the Voiceless for Human Rights (VSV) expresses its deep disapproval against the demolition by members of the Police
National Congolese (PNC) structures erected in two (2) allowances lying plots numbers 10 and 14 bis of Brook Avenue (Avenue
Kilimani II), Joli Park neighborhood, near the town of Ngaliema Seminar St. John Catholic 23.
In total, some twelve (12) families are affected by this evil and barbaric destruction of homes belonging to third parties. Indeed,
Saturday, December 11, 2010, at dawn, around 5:00 am, ten (10) tenants and owners of two (2) parcels, allowances lying Avenue
above have been surprised by the landing on the scene a squad of some eleven (11) police-led Nana of a certain not further identified.
They are holders of an official document issued by the Town Kinshasa on the title: "Order No.SC/220/BCV/COTEC/MAN.L/2010 of 16
November 2010 concerning demolition of buildings erected on the chaotic riverbank Mampenza, Joli Park neighborhood in the town of
Ngaliema, signed by the governor of Kinshasa, Mr. Andre and Kimbuta Yango countersigned, for execution by the provincial Minister of
Affairs land, urban planning and housing in the city-province of Kinshasa, Mr. Antoine MUZINGU Bidinger.
Despite the fact that the houses erected on the avenue (or Creek (Mampenza II) are not affected by the Order of the Governor City,
police, using hammers, crowbars and other heavy equipment began to destroy the houses built in plots above steps until the total
settlement, and without any summation, management or compassion vis-à-vis the occupants of which some were in deep sleep and were
forced to evacuate Adam held.
This was followed by assault and beatings administered by the police against victims who wanted to resist against theft and destruction
of valuable property, extortion of money and equipment Communication ...
Many of the homeless, the majority of children are still low age and in solidarity, end up with the rest of their belongings and spend night
in the open, braving rain, cold, heat, weather ... and remain committed to their fate.
The steps taken by the parties concerned to the police stations Police near the scene of the accident during the demolition wicked, the
Ngaliema Communal House, the City Hall of Kinshasa, Provincial department of land affairs, urban planning and housing, still no
response to date. At last, the officers engaged in the operation of the demolition are instrumented for by some unspoken MWAMBA
living in the area who sought to expand its property until the place of demolition.
Click here to read more>>
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Joseph Kabila
President since 17 January 2001
President since 17 January 2001
| TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS |
Current situation: Democratic Republic of the Congo is a source and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked
for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; much of this trafficking occurs within the country's unstable eastern
provinces and is perpetrated by armed groups outside government control
Tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Democratic Republic of the Congo is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of
increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; while some significant initial advances were noted, the government's
capacity to apprehend, convict, or imprison traffickers remained weak; the government lacks sufficient financial, technical, and
human resources to effectively address not only trafficking crimes, but also to provide basic levels of security in some parts of the
country (2008)
for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; much of this trafficking occurs within the country's unstable eastern
provinces and is perpetrated by armed groups outside government control
Tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Democratic Republic of the Congo is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of
increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; while some significant initial advances were noted, the government's
capacity to apprehend, convict, or imprison traffickers remained weak; the government lacks sufficient financial, technical, and
human resources to effectively address not only trafficking crimes, but also to provide basic levels of security in some parts of the
country (2008)
