Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC)
Population
56
million
Capital Kinshasa
Independence from Belgium
1960
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), known as Zaïre
from 1971 to 1997, is sometimes also referred to as
"Congo-Kinshasa". It was once the personal property of King
Leopold II of Belgium, when it was known as the Congo Free
State, and later a Belgian colony when it was renamed the
Belgian Congo.
A vast country with immense economic resources, since 1998
the country has suffered greatly from the devastating
Second Congo War (sometimes referred to as the African
World War), the world's deadliest conflict since World War
II.
The war claimed an estimated three million lives, either as
a direct result of fighting or because of disease and
malnutrition. It has been called possibly the worst
emergency to unfold in Africa in recent decades.
Geography
Its territory straddles the Equator, with one-third to the
north and two-thirds to the south. As a result of its
equatorial location, the Congo experiences extremely high
amounts of rainfall and contains the second largest rain
forest in the world (after the Amazon). The 2,733 mile long
Congo River lies mostly within the territory of the
country.
Recent History
The history of DR Congo has been one of civil war and
corruption. In 1965 army chief Joseph Mobutu seized power,
later renaming the country Zaire and himself Mobutu Sese
Seko. He turned Zaire into a springboard for operations
against Soviet-backed Angola and thereby ensured US
backing. But he also made Zaire synonymous with corruption,
amassing a personal fortune estimated in the billions -
greater than his country’s total external debt. He
was forced into exile on 16 May 1997 when his government
was overthrown militarily by Laurent Kabila.
Kabila immediately assumed governing authority, but his
regime was subsequently challenged by a Rwanda- and
Uganda-backed rebellion in August 1998. Troops from
Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan intervened to
support the Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed but
sporadic fighting continued.
Kabila was assassinated in January 2001 and was succeeded
by his son Joseph Kabila, barely 30 and a political novice.
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 government of
national unity. Kabila heads an interim government, formed
in June 2003, which includes members of former rebel
groups, opposition politicans and Kabila loyalists. Planned
general elections - the first since independence from
Belgium in 1960 - have been delayed and are expected to be
held in 2006.
Economy
The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo—a
nation endowed with vast potential wealth—has
declined drastically since the mid-1980s. The war had an
economic as well as a political side. Fighting was fuelled
by the mineral wealth, with all sides taking advantage of
the anarchy to plunder natural
resources.
(edited.
Wikipedia, BBC, The Africa Guide, Bradt)