Democratic Republic Of The Congo People

The area known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo was populated as early as 10,000 years ago and settled in the 7th and 8th centuries A.D. by Bantus from present-day Nigeria. Discovered in 1482 by Portuguese navigator Diego Cao and later explored by English journalist Henry Morton Stanley, the area was officially colonized in 1885 as a personal possession of Belgian King Leopold II as the Congo Free State. In 1907, administration shifted to the Belgian Government, which renamed the country the Belgian Congo. Following a series of riots and unrest, the Belgian Congo was granted its independence on June 30, 1960. Parliamentary elections in 1960 produced Patrice Lumumba as prime minister and Joseph Kasavubu as president of the renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... [Read More]

Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo

A deteriorating security situation in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo undermines the peace process. Economic development and the provision of services to people living in that area will suffer as a consequence of the fighting. In this context, we welcome the Government of Rwanda’s statement that it will work with the international community to deal with the Interhamwe and other negative forces threatening the security of both the Congo and Rwanda. ... [Read More]

Independent States in the World

of the CongoCGKinshasaCosta Rica *+Republic of Costa RicaCSSan JoséCôte d'Ivoire *+Republic of Côte d'IvoireIVYamoussoukroCroatia *+Republic of CroatiaHRZagrebCuba +Republic of CubaCUHavanaCyprus *+Republic of CyprusCYNicosiaCzech Republic *+Czech RepublicEZPragueDenmark *+Kingdom of DenmarkDACopenhagenDjibouti *+Republic of DjiboutiDJDjiboutiDominica *+Commonwealth of DominicaDORoseauDominican Republic *+Dominican RepublicDRSanto DomingoEast Timor *+Democratic Republic of Timor-LesteTT ... [Read More]

$10 Million Toward Refugee Emergency in Congo

The United States Government will provide emergency funding of $10 million for assistance to refugees and conflict victims, allocated as follows:$3.5 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for Congolese refugees in neighboring states and refugee populations within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. $2.5 million to the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund for the procurement and distribution of essential pharmaceuticals in Congo. $2.0 million to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to ensure field coordination and to fund quick impact projects in Congo. $1.5 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross for emergency assistance programs to internally displaced persons. $500,000 to the United Nations Security Coordinator for the deployment of field security advisors to help ensure safe working conditions for United Nations and Non-Governmental relief workers ... [Read More]

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

As the war grew into an increasing stalemate, government forces controlled less than half of the country.  Several rebel groups, the Congolese Rally for Democracy based in Goma (RCD/Goma), the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo (MLC), and the Congolese Rally for Democracy based in Bunia (RCD/ML) controlled the remaining territory, with the active military support of the Rwandan and Ugandan Governments.  The RCD/Goma remained dominated by members of the Tutsi ethnic minority and continued to be supported by the Government of Rwanda; the RCD/ML commanded fewer troops and, like the largely non-Tutsi MLC, was supported by the Government of Uganda.  War broke out in August 1998, when Kabila tried to expel Rwandan military forces that had helped him overthrow Mobutu.  Congolese Tutsis as well as the Governments of Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda all relied on the Rwandan military presence for protection against hostile armed groups operating from the eastern part of the ... [Read More]

Congo, Republic of

A local FM radio station rebroadcast Radio France International, VOA, and the BBC. Radio and television broadcasts from the Democratic Republic of the Congo were received in Brazzaville. The private independent radio station, Radio Liberte, continued to broadcast as well as the new privately owned radio station DR-Radio. Local rebroadcasts of the Gabon-based Africa Number One also continued during the year. A Christian missionary group in Pointe Noire broadcast during daylight hours; it voluntarily provided its material to the Government prior to broadcast. Government broadcast media primarily focused their attention on the activities of government officials, but also provided news on other activities by international and local NGOs. During the year, the broadcasts included airing of alternative political views of some opposition members in talk show format, but overall opposition political parties did not have access to the governme ... [Read More]

Africa

1111--   Men of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Attempt to Slow Down the Erosion of the Land ...

1111--   Improving the Water Supply in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

1111--   Children of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ... [Read More]

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

The war began in August 1998, when Laurent Kabila tried to expel Rwandan military forces that had helped him overthrow Mobutu. Congolese Tutsis as well as the Governments of Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda, all relied on the Rwandan military presence for protection against hostile armed groups operating from the eastern part of the country. These groups included: The Interahamwe militia of Hutus, mostly from Rwanda, Hutu members of the former Rwandan armed forces, and other Rwandan Hutu militiaman, some of whom took part in the 1994 genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda and who fought the Tutsi-dominated Government of Rwanda; the Mai Mai, a loose association of traditional Congolese local defense forces, which primarily fought Rwandan government forces and their Congolese allies; the Alliance of Democratic Forces (ADF), made up of Ugandan opposition forces supported by the Government of Sudan, which fought the Government of Uganda but largely was inactive during the year; and several groups of Hutu ... [Read More]

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

UDPS Economic Advisor Jean-Baptiste Mulumba, who was arrested in May 2002 by ANR officers in Katanga, was released on May 10 as part of the April general amnesty (see Section 1.e.). Pre-trial detention was systematically prolonged. Human rights NGOs reported that less than 20 percent of the inmates at Makala had been charged or sentenced. Many prisoners released under an April amnesty likely served time without a fair trial or due process (see Section 1.e.). Prisoners were often held in detention after their sentences had expired (see Section 2.a.). In a few instances, when these cases were brought to the attention of the Government, prisoners were released. For example, in September, 28 Rwandan Hutu soldiers and a civilian who had been detained for approximately 5 years were released from Makala after a July visit to the facility by the Human Rights Minister. In areas not under ce ... [Read More]