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Congo (Kinshasa)
Area: 2,345,410 sq km
Population: 58,784,400 (estimated)
Capital City: Kinshasa (approx 8 million)
People: Over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes – Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbtu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population.
Language(s): French (official), Lingala, Swahili, Kikongo, Tshiluba.
Religion(s): Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other sects and indigenous beliefs 10%.
Currency: Congolese franc
Major political parties: Parti du Peuple pour la Réconstruction et la Démocratie (PPRD), Mouvement pour la Libération du Congo (MLC), Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD), Mouvement Social pour la Renouveau (MSR), Parti Unifié Lumumbiste (PALU), Forces du Renouveau, Union des Democrates Mobutistes (UDEMO), Coalition des Democrates Congolais (CODECO), Union Nationale de Federalistes en Congo (UNAFEC), RCD-Nationale (RCD-N), Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social (UDPS)
Head of State: President Joseph Kabila (elected 2006)
Prime Minister: Antoine Gizenga
Foreign Minister: Antipas Mbusa Nyamwisi
Membership of international groupings: UN, African Union (AU), Southern African Development Community(SADC), and Community of East and Southern African States (COMESA).
GEOGRAPHY
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) lies on the equator and has borders with 9 African countries – Congo(Brazzaville), the Central African Republic, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and Angola. It has a small coastline on the Atlantic. The central region has an equatorial climate with high temperatures and heavy rainfall, with different climatic cycles in the northern and southern regions.
HISTORY
DRC (formerly Zaire) gained independence from Belgium in June 1960. Following a period of political instability, General Mobutu, the Chief of the Army, came to power in an army coup in 1965 and remained largely unchallenged throughout the 1970s and 1980s. President Mobutu presided over endemic corruption and reputedly built up a large personal fortune. Moves towards democratisation in the early 1990s did not succeed in removing him from power. But an already-fragile state was further weakened by the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide of 1994, when in October 1996 dissident groups, led by Laurent Kabila and strongly supported by Rwanda and Uganda, rose in revolt. They entered Kinshasa on 17 May 1997. Laurent Kabila declared himself President. Mobutu fled to Morocco where he subsequently died.
Internal and external dissatisfaction with the new President grew until late summer 1998, when a new rebel group announced itself, again backed by Rwanda and Uganda, and a second conflict broke out. SADC states led by Zimbabwe and Angola intervened on the side of the Kabila Government. By mid-1999 front-lines had stabilised, with three belligerent groups respectively controlling a third of the country, each backed by different regional states. A cease-fire was signed in Lusaka in August 1999. The United Nations Security Council established a peacekeeping force known as MONUC to facilitate the implementation of the Lusaka Accord signed in 1999. It has a budget exceeding one billion dollars and is now over 17,000 strong making it the largest mission in the Department of Peace Keeping Operations (DPKO).
In January 2001 President Kabila was assassinated by one of his bodyguards. His son, Joseph Kabila, took over as the new head of State on 26 January 2001 and proved more amenable to negotiations. Foreign forces gradually departed, and a protracted Inter-Congolese Dialogue led to an agreement between the belligerents and members of the political opposition on the formation of a transitional national government (TNG). This was formally agreed by the parties on 2 April 2003 in Sun City (South Africa). The TNG was promulgated on 30 June 2003, formally ending a war that had cost an estimated 4 million lives.
The Transitional National Government (TNG) was made up of three major belligerent groups, a number of smaller ex-rebel movements, civil society and political opposition representatives. The TNG had a '1 + 4' leadership, with a President (Joseph Kabila) and Vice Presidents (Jean-Pierre Bemba, Azarias Ruberwa, Arthur Z'Ahidi Ngoma and Yerodia Abdoulaye Ndombasi. The TNG was hindered by continuing violence in the east of the country, massive humanitarian needs, widespread corruption and periods of high tension between former belligerent groups who were making up the government.
POLITICS
The Transition, originally planned for two years, was (constitutionally) extended twice. The new constitution and the electoral law were passed, and the constitution approved by referendum in December 2005. The new constitution was eventually promulgated on 18 February 2006. The first democratic elections for over 40 years took place in July and October 2006. Joseph Kabila was elected President with 58.05% of the vote in the second round. He was inaugurated as President on 6 December 2006 for a 5 year term.
The elected National Assembly held its opening session on 22 September 2006. The PPRD party of President Kabila took 114 of 500 seats, the largest number of any political party, and controlled more than 200 through its political allies. On 19 January 2007 a 108 seat Senate was indirectly elected, with the PPRD again taking the largest share of seats (22), with the MLC (party of Jean-Pierre Bemba) obtaining 14. Parliamentarians have a 5-year mandate.
Political veteran Antoine Gizenga was named as Prime Minister on 30 December 2006. President Kabila and PM Gizenga announced a government of 60 Ministers on 5 February 2007, which saw several new names enter the Congolese political scene.
Overall progress in DRC continues to be affected by violence and insecurity, especially in eastern DRC. The ill-disciplined and poorly-paid Congolese armed forces continue to pose a threat to civilians, and the humanitarian needs of the Congolese population remain immense.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Abuses of human rights and humanitarian standards by the remaining rebel militias and Congolese army continue at a high level. There are frequent reports of summary execution of civilians, widespread rape and sexual violence, banditry and forced labour. Ethnic tensions are high in the east and north-east of the country. Pockets of violence continue to displace civilians and humanitarian needs are acute in many parts of the country. Reports of intimidation and arbitrary arrest of human rights workers, journalists and political leaders were particularly high during the election period. Justice for victims of human rights abuses has been sparse, but in 2006 some trials were carried out in the DRC, and perpetrators of abuses sent to prison. 2006 also saw the transfer of former militia leader Thomas Lubanga to the International Criminal Court, on charges of war crimes.ECONOMY
Basic Economic Facts (2006 estimates)
GDP: 8.5 bn USD
GDP growth: 6.4%
Inflation: 16%.
Major Exports: Diamonds, oil, cobalt, copper
Major Trading Partners (2005): Exports - Belgium 38.3%, US 17.9%, China 11.7%, France 8%. Imports - South Africa 16.6%, Belgium 15.9%, France 9.1%, Zambia 8.1%.
Exchange Rate: Franc Congolais 449 = \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$1 (June 2005)
DRC's economy is dominated by the mining sector – copper, cobalt and diamonds But decades of mismanagement and corruption, together with the war, caused virtual economic collapse. In January 2001, the government announced a comprehensive change to economic policy, freeing up the currency, lifting foreign exchange restrictions and ending the monopoly on diamond export sales. But progress in reversing decades of decline is slow.
DRC is potentially one of the richest countries in Africa, with rich mineral resources, timber (75% of the country is forested) and extensive energy resources in HEP. It is however one of the poorest. Real GDP per capita fell from \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$380 in 1960 to \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$115 by 2004. The tense political situation, corruption and smuggling, as highlighted by the UN Panel on the Illegal Exploitation of Mineral Resources of October 2003, have resulted in a shortage of development capital that has stifled the development of the mining and other sectors. The DRC signed up to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in 2005 and is a member of the Kimberley Process.
DEVELOPMENT
The DRC is the second largest country, to Sudan, in Sub-Saharan African. But, its population is scattered, and the infrastructure linking the regions is poor or non-existent. The DRC is ranked near the bottom, at 167 out of 177 countries on the 2006 Human Development Index. All the socio-economic indicators are poor, made worse by the 10 years of war. The education system and the public health system are both shattered. Corruption remains a massive problem, with DRC ranked 156th out of 163 countries in the Transparency International 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index.
The UK is the biggest bilateral European donor in DRC (£62m in financial year 2006-7). DFID's programme focuses on providing immediate humanitarian assistance; supporting good governance, democratisation and accountability; reforming the army, police and justice sector; supporting the provision of basic services - health, education and infrastructure - to the population; tackling HIV/AIDS and promoting better management of DRC's natural resources.
The UK was the biggest bilateral donor to the elections process (£35m). This is in addition to contributions of around £70 million through the European Commission, the United Nations and the World Bank. The UK has contributed to the UN CAF (£30m for 2006 and the same for 2007).
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The DRC's relations with its neighbours were very poor between 1994 and 2005, particularly with Rwanda and Uganda. This was due to allegations of Congolese support for Rwandan and Ugandan rebel groups based on Congolese territory and to Rwandan and Ugandan military interventions into the DRC in 1996 and 1998. The DRC’s relations with its other neighbours, particularly Angola, are generally cordial.
There have however been improvements in regional tensions in recent years. In mid-to-late 2002 the DRC signed peace agreements with both Rwanda and Uganda, after which both countries withdrew their troops from the Congo. The US led Tripartite Commission between the Great Lakes countries also aims to resolve regional peace and security issues by fostering dialogue between regional governments. This has led to some normalisation in relations between the DRC and both Uganda and Rwanda, though some tensions remain, largely due to the continued presence of rebel groups on DRC territory.
SANCTIONS
The EU and member states imposed an arms embargo on the DRC (then Zaire) by means of Declaration of 7 April 1993 and adopted Council Regulation (EC) No 1727/2003 on 29 September 2003. The United Nations imposed an arms embargo in July 2003 – Security Council Resolution 1493 (2003), extended by SC Resolution 1552 (2004), 1596 (2005), 1649 (2005) and 1698 (2006). No licences will be issued for the export to the DRC of goods and technology on the Military List which forms Part II of the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, as amended. UN sanctions (UNSCRs 918, 997 and 1011) also impose restrictions on the sale or supply of arms and related material to persons in States neighbouring Rwanda, including DRC, when the goods in question are intended for use in Rwanda.
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