Congo People Republic
Congo (Kinshasa) (06/05)
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]
Congo (Brazzaville) (04/05)
The Congo's economy is based primarily on its petroleum sector, which is by far the country's major revenue earner. The Congolese oil sector is dominated by the French oil company TotalFinaElf. In second position is the Italian oil firm Agip. ChevronTexaco (in partnership with TotalFinaElf) is the primary American oil company active in petroleum exploration or production. Murphy Oil has signed a contract but has not begun exploration or production. Congo's oil production is expected to decline over the next 15 years with fields yielding less. However, based on an agreement with Angola signed in 2002 to jointly administer certain Congo-Cabinda border areas, Congo's production could rise if exploration is successful. Murphy Oil signed a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with Congo in 2003 for two deepwater off-shore permits. Congo hopes to offset declining production in other fields with these new PSAs. ... [Read More]
Congo, Republic of
There were unconfirmed reports that the Republic of Congo was a country of destination; however, it was not a country of transit or origin. There were unconfirmed reports that minor relatives of West African immigrants from Benin and Togo could be victims of trafficking. There was no evidence of trafficking in men or women. Outside of the unconfirmed reports of "minors relatives" of West African immigrants, there were no other reports of trafficking in children. Children from West Africa worked as fishermen, shop workers, street sellers, or domestic servants. There were reports some were physically abused. There were reports of isolated cases of child prostitution, which according to international and local NGOs and others were not linked to trafficking or forced labor. UNICEF and the International Rescue Committee had programs to assist with feeding and sheltering DRC street children. In addition, there was no evidence that any of these street children were from the Republic of Congo ... [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]
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]
US Department Of State Post Report
The owner's initials should also be on all containers. Liftvans are commonly used. Insure automobiles against all possible damage. Route all air shipments to Kinshasa. Customs, Duties, and Passage Customs and DutiesLast Updated: 6/13/2005 3:33 PM All Embassy staff members have free-entry privileges for their HHE, automobiles, and reasonable amounts of goods and liquors if they are shipped with staff members’ effects and received within 6 months of arrival. Free-entry privileges on a regular basis are accorded only to the Ambassador and family. PassageLast ... [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 is deeply concerned about the humanitarian impact of the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has displaced nearly two million people and generated over 327,000 refugees. Inside Congo, war has in large measure stymied relief efforts for the displaced and the 330,000 refugees that Congo itself is hosting from its neighbors -- Angola, Burundi, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, and Uganda. ... 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]
Chiefs of Mission Listed by Country or Organization
1111-- China (People's Republic of): Clark T. Randt, Jr. ... 1111-- Congo, Republic of: Robin Renee Sanders ... 1111-- Lao People's Democratic Republic: Patricia M. Haslach ... [Read More]
LISTING OF COUNTRIES BY INCOME GROUP
Congo, Republic of ... Korea, Republic of ... Slovak Republic ... [Read More]
|