Dr congo ebola outbreak still an international public. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of congo, democratic republic of the transnational issues 2020 information contained here. Relations with democratic republic of the congo united. Drc is now the second largest hunger crisis in the world after yemen. Rape, murder, torture and other human rights abuses followed the scramble to exploit congos wealth after war exploded in 1998. The democratic republic of congo has some of the most fertile land in the world, but for decades the small farming communities surrounding lake kivu in eastern congo have endured cycles of violence and postconflict poverty. More information about republic of the congo is available on the republic of the congo page and from other department of state publications and other sources listed at the end of this fact sheet.
Yet, one of its main issues is a result from the lack of these resources to the people of this nation. Democratic republic of congo throughout 2018, government officials and security forces carried out widespread repression and serious human rights violations against political opposition leaders and. In response to a request from the government of the democratic republic of the congo drc, in 2009 the united nations environment programme unep initiated a national, multithematic assessment of priority environmental issues facing the country. The 1533 democratic republic of the congo drc sanctions regime expires on. Republic of the congo relations the united states established diplomatic relations with the republic of the congo in 1960, following the countrys independence from france.
Democratic republic of congo overview world bank group. Democratic republic of the congo wikipedia republished. Democratic republic of the congo united states department. The who country health profile of democratic republic of the congo provides key statistics and links to health topical databases, plus news, features and bulletin journal articles on the health issues. Media coverage is poor and yet there have been millions of refugees and over five million killed since the war began around august 1998.
Reconsider travel to the democratic republic of the congo drc due to crime, civil unrest, and ebola. This part of the web site looks at the conflict in the democratic republic of congo. The government of the democratic republic of the congo drc does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. Conflict in the democratic republic of congo drc threatens the. While the name of the country surely lends itself to an assumption of regime type, in actuality, this area has experienced great civil unrest over the last five decades, resulting in an extremely tenuous socalled democracy. The best articles from christianity today on democratic republic of congo. Democratic republic of the congo political process britannica. Congo, democratic republic market overviewcongo dr market overview discusses key economic indicators and trade statistics, which countries are dominant in the market, the u. Ebola in democratic republic of the congo january 03, 2020 there is an outbreak of ebola in the north kivu kivu nord and ituri provinces in the democratic republic of the congo drc. Despite the presence of vast quantities of natural resources, congo remains one of the poorest nations on earth.
China just secured one of the most important deals so far this century. The congo s forests are endangered by fires set to clean the land for agricultural purposes. Letter to secretary of state tillerson on the democratic republic of the congo. The democratic republic of the congos economic freedom score is 49. Faos response to the crisis in dr congo is to assist a total of 2. Democratic republic of the congo, march 2020 monthly forecast. Has felix tshisekedi tackled dr congos six biggest problems. The international boundary follows the south shore of the pool roughly 30 km in diameter. The 1533 democratic republic of the congo drc sanctions regime expires on 1 july 2020. Democratic republic of the congo expected council action.
Social issues in the democratic republic of congo wikipedia. Embassy kinshasa, democratic republic of the congo. Democratic republic of congo or dr congo for short, is a central african country bordering the central african republic and the republic of south sudan to the north, the republics of uganda, burundi, tanzania and rwanda to the east, the republics of zambia and angola to the south, the republic of the congo congobrazzaville and the atlantic ocean to the west with about 37km of coastline. Avoid all international travel due to the global impact of covid19. Drc is the most resourceful nation in the entire continent of africa.
The republic of the congo, originally a french colony, is sometimes called congo brazzaville as opposed to the democratic republic of the congo known from 1971 to 1999 as zaire which is often called congo kinshasa, originally a belgian colony. Major issues conflicts in the democratic republic of the congo. An 11monthold girl, who was treated at the same health centre as a. Learn about sources of continued violence in the democratic republic of congo and how the united nations, african union, and neighboring countries are struggling to curtail it.
Ndis activities in the drc began with assisting the countrys unarmed political organizations to participate in the intercongolese dialogue. The democratic republic of the congo s economic freedom score is 49. With 80 million hectares of arable land and over 1,100 listed minerals and precious metals, the drc has the potential to become. Democratic republic of the congo history britannica. Officially known as the democratic republic of the congo, the country has a 25mile 40km coastline on the atlantic ocean but is otherwise landlocked. Democratic republic of congo cdc center for global health. Usaid helps governments and communities plan how the forests and land will be used so that they are conserved for future generations, while at the same time providing products such as medicines, wildlife, wood and other products that can improve living standards today. At first sight, one would long ponder over the idea of drc s conflict of lacking resources. The countrys main economic resource is its mineral deposits. Minerals found in katanga include copper, cobalt, zinc. Despite a wealth of fertile soil, hydroelectric power potential, and mineral resources, the democratic republic of the congo drc struggles with many socioeconomic problems, including high infant and maternal mortality rates, malnutrition, poor vaccination coverage, lack of access to improved water sources and sanitation, and frequent and early fertility. Dr congo has a total land area of about 2,344,858sq. Major issues conflicts in the democratic republic of the. The wphf hopes to fill crucial funding gaps in the democratic republic of congo around issues related to womens leadership in humanitarian action and governance at all levels.
Governance is a perennial challenge, but president kabilas 2019 exit has cautiously raised hopes for democratic reform. Facts about poverty in the democratic republic of the congo. Democratic republic of the congo democratic republic of the congo resources and power. Jan 08, 2020 measles has killed more than 6,000 people in the democratic republic of congo, the world health organization said, describing it as the worlds worst measles epidemic. The largest subsaharan african country by area, the democratic republic of the congo drc is resource rich and home to some of the worlds largest deposits of rare earth minerals, but the vast majority of the population lives in extreme poverty. The country has made measureable progress in recent years, due to improved leadership, coordination and investments in priority health issues by the government of drc and international partners. The country that began as a kings private domain the congo free state, evolved into a colony the belgian congo, became independent in 1960 as the republic of the congo, and later underwent several name changes to the democratic republic of the congo, then to zaire, and back again to the democratic republic of the congo is the product of a complex pattern of historical forces.
Relations with republic of the congo united states. The second largest country in africa, the democratic republic of the congo drc ranked 5th of 178 countries on the 2019 fragile states index, placing it in the highest category of risk very high alert. These plans have put forest management in the hands of local communitieswhich has been shown to be among the most effective. The paper the failed state in the democratic republic of congo is a potent example of a case study on politics. Other concerning problems include child malnutrition and outbreaks of. Major issues since the war that took place in august of 1998, the drc has encountered many internal problems over the recent decade. Mpr was the sole legal political party from 1970 until 1990. The global public health threat posed by covid19 is high, with more than 100,000 reported cases worldwide. Presidents emergency plan for aids relief pepfar, cdc works with the democratic republic of the congo drc to build a sustainable, highimpact national hiv response program to accelerate progress towards the unaids global targets to control the hiv epidemic. The state of democracy in the democratic republic of congo. Aug 21, 2010 this part of the web site looks at the conflict in the democratic republic of congo. Democratic republic of congo drc national democratic. The issues that need to be resolved within the country are.
Congo, democratic republic of the transnational issues 2020. A country of paradoxes, it is a land rich in natural resources, but its people are among the poorest in the world. Water issues in the democratic republic of the congo. Yali alumni meet dr peter pham and the ambassador mike hammer. While the democratic republic of congo has the natural and human resources to thrive, it has the unenviable distinction of. Congo, republic of the roc environment the most significant environmental problems in the congo are deforestation, increases in urban population, and the protection of its wildlife. Decades of war, violence, and poverty have claimed the lives of over five million people.
The democratic republic of the congo drc, the secondlargest country in africa, has been mired in conflict for decades. Prayers for the day of prayer and fasting for peace in the democratic republic of congo, south sudan and the whole world feb. Democratic republic of the congo news top stories from. There is an ongoing outbreak of coronavirus covid19 first identified in wuhan, china. The abundance of minerals in katanga province was among those factors that attracted european powers to congo in the 19th century. Democratic republic of congo also known as congo kinshasa is the 2nd largest country in africa by total land area. Democratic republic of the congo, country located in central africa.
Technical issues and irregularities, including a delay in voting for more than a million. What were the issues faceing the democratic republic of. In 2008, at the request of the government of the democratic republic of congo dr congo, the united nations environment programme unep established a country programme and a project office in the capital, kinshasa. Democratic republic of the congos newly inaugurated president. These plans have put forest management in the hands of local communitieswhich has been shown to be among the most. Democratic republic of congo environmental and climate change policy brief june 5, 2008 this policy brief was carried out as a desk study during april to june 2008 and will be used as an input to the swedish cooperation strategy process. Congolese police arbitrarily arrested nearly 90 prodemocracy activists and. The democratic republic of the congo is a country located in central africa. We were there before the first case of ebola and we will be there long after the last. Democratic republic of the congo environment current issues. Major problems facing dr congo today africa and the. The congo has 70% of the worlds coltan, a third of its cobalt, more than 30% of its diamond reserves, and a tenth of its copper.
A week ago, president felix tshisekedi of the democratic republic of congo gave the order to arrest a notorious warlord responsible for atrocities in the southern region of katanga. Support the government of the democratic republic of congo to initiate development of a comprehensive legal framework for agricultural land rights the drc is a candidate for a new or substantially revised legal framework for land, especially land used for agriculture. The democratic republic of congo drc has one of the highest incidences of poverty in the world. Africa congo, democratic republic of the the world. Democratic republic of the congo resources and power. Although the war in congo officially ended in 2003, two million people have died.
Pressure the democratic republic of the congo to implement the st. Violence in the democratic republic of congo global. Water in crisis spotlight democratic republic of congo. The origins of the current violence in the drc are in the massive refugee. Measles kills 6,000 in democratic republic of congo, the. The problems associated with democratic reform in the democratic republic of the congo drc are manifold. The financial times has an informative writeup on the significance of this breakthrough agreement. Democratic republic of the congo economic indicators. Yet the rich country leaders and their media drew everyones attention to 2000 ethnic albianians being killed in kosovo to gain support for a war there. Hiv is a leading cause of death and a health threat to millions worldwide.
In response to violence carried out by exiled rwandan hutu genocidaires, rwandan and ugandan forces invaded the democratic republic. Democratic republic of congo world africa human rights. Christian news and views about democratic republic of congo. These problems exploded in the 1990s, this time with a regional dimension. One of the most pressing challenges faced by kenya and the democratic republic of congo states at independence was their lack of infrastructure. Report of the panel of experts on the illegal exploitation of natural resources and other forms of wealth of the democratic republic of the congo, from united nations security council, 12 april, 2001, which reveals a a massive level of illegal exploitation by corporations and countries alike. The united states established diplomatic relations with the republic of the congo in 1960, following the countrys independence from france. The recent history of the democratic republic of congo dr congo has been one of civil war and corruption. The failed state in the democratic republic of congo case. Democratic republic of the congo world food programme. The two countries have signed a bilateral investment treaty. The capital, kinshasa, is located on the congo river about 320 miles 515 km from its mouth.
Democratic development in the democratic republic of congo drc faces a myriad of challenges, including a legacy of exploitation and conflict, lack of physical and communications infrastructure, extreme poverty and continuing pockets of insecurity. The democratic republic of congo s response to the covid19 pandemic should prioritize support for lowincome communities, displaced people, and others at greatest risk. Conflict in the democratic republic of congo drc threatens the lives of millions of. In terms of population size, dr congo is the fourth most populous country in africa today with a population of about 81. The country has been poliofree for four years, a major achievement given its size and the lack of infrastructure for delivering health services. Democratic republic of congo topics christianity today. The world bank is helping to fight poverty and improve living standards for the people of the drc, through education, energy, health and other social services. In 1998, the democratic republic of congo became part of what some people called africas first world war, in a conflict between seven african nations. Measles has killed more than 6,000 people in the democratic republic of congo, the world health organization said, describing it as the worlds worst measles epidemic. The democratic republic of congodrc has one of the highest.
The who country health profile of democratic republic of the congo provides key statistics and links to health topical databases, plus news, features and bulletin journal articles on the health issues of the country. Violence in the democratic republic of congo global conflict. Mar 22, 2011 kinshasanairobi, 22 march 2011 the democratic republic of the congo drc possesses over half of africas water reserves, yet 74 percent of its population or approximately 51 million people. Drc presidential decree of state of emergency the government of the drc has declared a state of emergency effective march 24 to limit the spread of covid19. Embassy kinshasa, democratic republic of the congo march 25, 2020 location. There are many reasons why the war broke out, including conflicts over minerals, water, and food. The democratic republic of congo is widely considered one of the worlds richest countries in natural resources. The largest francophone country in africa, the democratic republic of congo drc, endowed with vast natural resources, has nearly 80 million inhabitants, fewer than 40% of whom live in urban areas. The democratic republic of the congo drc has seen an increase in the number of reported cases of the deadly haemorrhagic virus ebola linked to ongoing violence by armed groups targeting remote communities, the world health organization who said on friday.