The Democratic Republic of the CONGO

Independence: June 30, 1960 from Belgium.

Capital city: Kinshasa

Provinces: Kinshasa, Bandundu, Lower-Congo, Equator, Eastern Province, Katanga, Western Kasai, Eastern Kasai, North Kivu, South Kivu, and Maniema.

The land is strategically located in the very middle of Africa. That is why, in French, it is said of the DRC the “Heart of Africa”. That is also one of the reasons why, before the downfall of the USSR, the Western block and the Socialist block have fought each other in order to get a foothold in the country.

As a matter of facts, the location of the DRC allows an openness (easy contacts) to other countries. Eastwards, through the provinces of Katanga, South Kivu, North Kivu and the Oriental Province, the DRC is linked to Swahili, French and English speaking countries - Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. Northwards, through the Oriental Province and Equator, the DRC is related to Arabic and French speaking countries - Sudan and the central African Republic. Westwards (through the provinces of Lower Congo, Kinshasa, Bandundu and Equator Province) the DRC is open to more French speaking countries). Through Katanga, Occidental Kasai and Lower Congo, the DRC looks southwards to Angola (Portuguese speaking) and Zambia (English speaking).

Population: over 55,000,000 in over 300 tribes.
Race : Black sub-Saharan - mostly Bantu - and Pygmies.

Languages: National languages are Swahili, Lingala, Kikongo, Tshiluba. The first three of these languages and some other native languages are also spoken in neighboring countries (Congo-Brazza, Angola, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Sudan, Central African Republic. The official language is French - spoken in most of the West african countries.

Literacy: In 1995, 12,5% of women, in urban areas, and 60%, in rural areas were illiterates while there were 3,7% of men, in urban areas, and 23,8% in rural areas.

Resources: mineral (The DRC is a “geological scandal”: copper & accompanying substances, gold, diamond - industrial and jewelry -, cobalt, tin and accompanying substances, manganese, and more), natural (timber, species of animals and birds, flowers; rivers & lakes - hundreds of species of fish & other water species), arable land, etc.

Economy: The DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world mostly due to the later Mobutu's 32 year despotic rule, the burden of the institutional debts, the economic embargo from West (some governments & the World financial institutions), the present aggression war.

Currency: Congolese Franc. Its rate, on January 24, 2000, was more than 180.00 Congolese Francs for 1.00 US $, on the black market. The rate of the Central Bank is 50 Congolese Francs for 1.00 US $.

Production: copper & associated minerals, diamond, gold, cobalt & associated minerals, timber, coffee, etc.

Industries : mining, food industry, textile, pharmaceutical, etc.

Religion: Protestant (over 36%, according to the statistics of the eighties), Catholic (less than the reported 50%), Kimbanguist (less than 10%), Sects, Moslem, Oriental (Buddhists, Hindus), other. The number of Protestants, especially the charismatic is growing fast.

State: The DRC is in a state of unrest. Eastern areas and a part of northern provinces and Katanga are occupied. Very recently, the President of the country, Laurent-Désiré Kabila, was assassinated.

The Aggression War

Since August 2, 1998, beginning with the eastern part and moving towards the North and the South, three neighboring countries (Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi) have invaded the DRC, allegedly, for the sake of their security. After the beginning of the war, the aggressors have enlisted discontent politicians in order to legitimate their enterprise. Recently, UNITA, after the defeat in Angola, has joined the coalition.

The attitude of the international community has been permissive and even supportive to the aggressors. This has encouraged the deliberate manner in which the aggressors have acted in respect to the recognized borders and the compliance to the resolutions of the United Nations. There are reports of attempts, by the aggressors, to modify the borders. The International Court of Justice has already issued a decree on the matter. Only very recently, in December 2000, has the Security Council of the United Nations issued a clear and strong resolution ordering the aggressors to leave the occupied territory. Some governments have also started to react to such an act.

Because of this war, to poverty, sickness, famine, and other ills has been added a war that has already killed over 3000,000 of people, mostly children. Over 3,000,000 are refugees in the neighboring countries and elsewhere or displaced to other parts of our country where they are living in tragic conditions.

The aggression war has been conducted with such a savagery that one wonders how the international community has been so silent. The aggressors, through every possible act of cruelty, have been killing (by gunfire, knife, poison, burying people alive, etc.), forcing parents and children into incest, raping, mutilating, etc. This is the human toll, which dos not even take into account the emotional trauma.

The other consequences are serious as well. The economy, which had not been able to recover from the 32 years of Mobutu, the economic embargo, and the looting of the early 9O, is, because of war , unable to get well. Unemployment is on the rise. Social problems are huge.

The situation is catastrophic in the area of health. The number of people with AIDS is on the rise, especially in the occupied territories. Reports from there speak of thousands of AIDS infected Ugandan soldiers sent in the DRC with the unique mission of infecting Congolese women in order to spread the disease. Reports from reliable sources have been published in vain.

Some have called the aggression war a war of looting. In the occupied territories, everything is being stolen or destroyed by the aggressors. They are illegally exploiting gold, diamond, and other precious stones. The environment is being destroyed as well. There is illegal exploitation of timber, exportation or killing of rare species, etc. Damages are estimated to over 692,000,000 US $.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo