Social issues in the democratic republic of congo wikipedia. While the name of the country surely lends itself to an assumption of regime type, in actuality, this area has experienced great civil unrest. More than 2,200 have died in the countrys worstever outbreak of the virus just two days before the outbreak of ebola in the democratic republic of congo was to be declared over, the world health. Democratic republic of the congo history britannica. More information about the democratic republic of the congo is available on the democratic republic of the congo page and from other department of state publications and other sources listed at the end of this fact sheet. Water issues in the democratic republic of the congo. The problems associated with democratic reform in the democratic republic of the congo drc are manifold. The democratic republic of the congo is a country located in central africa. Their economic problems and government corruption required intervention from western nations over the past few decades. Over the last two years, the situation has massively deteriorated due to an increase in the scale and number of conflicts in the country. Kinshasa national capital, democratic republic of the congo. There are many reasons why the war broke out, including conflicts over minerals, water, and food. The congos forests are endangered by fires set to clean the land for agricultural purposes. With 80 million hectares of arable land and over 1,100 listed minerals and precious metals, the drc has the potential to become.
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. He renamed the country the democratic republic of congo in 1997. Last ebola patient discharged with end of outbreak in sight the virus killed 2,264. The many challenges to fighting yellow fever in democratic republic of the congo 11 july 2016 who supports the democratic republic of the congo to contain a yellow fever outbreak. The recent history of the democratic republic of congo dr congo has been one of civil war and corruption. Many depend on untreated water sources such as slow flowing rivers and streams for drinking water and water for domestic purposes which explains the many waterrelated diseases in dr congo today. Jun 16, 2016 examining poverty in the democratic republic of the congo. While the democratic republic of congo has the natural and human resources to thrive, it has the unenviable distinction of.
One of the main causes of poverty in the democratic republic of the congo is health threats, specifically a malaria outbreak, which resulted in approximately 6. Democratic republic of the congo environment current 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. Major issues conflicts in the democratic republic of the congo.
The democratic republic of congodrc has one of the highest. When, in 2006, joseph kabila became the first democratically elected president of the democratic republic of the congo, many congolese and international observers hoped that stability had finally come to the country. Avoid all international travel due to the global impact of covid19. In response to violence carried out by exiled rwandan hutu genocidaires, rwandan and ugandan forces invaded the democratic republic of congo. 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. 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. 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. Ongoing conflict in the democratic republic of congo has forced more than four million people to flee their homes, and more than eight million need humanitarian assistance. Reconsider travel to the democratic republic of the congo drc due to crime, civil unrest, and ebola. Aug 21, 2010 this part of the web site looks at the conflict in the democratic republic of congo. 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. A country of paradoxes, it is a land rich in natural resources, but its people are among the poorest in the world. Decades of war, violence, and poverty have claimed the lives of over five million people.
Major issues since the war that took place in august of 1998, the drc has encountered many internal problems over the recent decade. From ethiopia, to kenya and the democratic republic of congo, westerners have been verbally and physically abused over fears that they may be. Africa congo, democratic republic of the the world. These problems exploded in the 1990s, this time with a regional dimension.
Deforestation in the democratic republic of the congo. 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. Many depend on untreated water sources such as slow flowing rivers and streams for drinking water and water for domestic purposes which explains the many waterrelated diseases in dr congo. Embassy kinshasa, democratic republic of the congo march 25, 2020 location. Security council urges democratic republic of congo to. The most significant environmental problems in the congo are deforestation, increases in urban population, and the protection of its wildlife. The democratic republic of the congo, the setting for joseph conrads heart of darkness, was called africas most unstable country in 1993. The war claimed over five millions people lives and is sometimes called africas war due to the number of countries involved in the conflict, which include libya, angola, chad, namibia, rwanda, sudan and zimbabwe. Democratic republic of congo has been engulfed in a complex humanitarian crisis for decades. The democratic republic of the congo s economic freedom score is 49.
Crisis in democratic republic of congo oxfam international. The major environmental problems in congo brazzaville. More than 140 armed groups were active in eastern congo s north kivu and south kivu provinces, and many continued to attack civilians, including the largely rwandan democratic forces for the liberation of rwanda fdlr and allied congolese nyatura groups. In this second installment of our off the grid series, we expose one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises. Violence in the democratic republic of congo global. Technical issues and irregularities, including a delay in voting for more than a million.
These plans have put forest management in the hands of local communitieswhich has been shown to be among the most effective. Democratic republic of the congo world food programme. Democratic republic of the congo apologized for the. Water in crisis spotlight democratic republic of congo. 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. One of the largest cities of subsaharan africa, it is a special political unit equivalent to a congolese region, with its own. 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.
It contributes to breathing problems, chronic diseases, increased hospitalization, and premature mortality. Conflict in the democratic republic of congo drc threatens the. Through a few deceptive elections mobutu was able to maintain his power in the congo. Violence in the democratic republic of congo global conflict. Struggle for independence democratic republic of congo. Kinshasa, zaire the democratic republic of the congo drc is most notably known for the second congo war. The origins of the current violence in the drc are in the massive refugee. The united states established diplomatic relations with the democratic republic of the congo d. Facts and statistics about the environment current issues of democratic republic of the congo. The democratic republic of the congo problems, progress and.
The conflict in the east map created by the council on foreign relations, click for interactive version the map above shows the location of armed groups in green and the areas with the number of internally displaced people in purple in the eas. Facts about poverty in the democratic republic of the congo. The conflict of the democratic republic of congo 1410 words. Hiv is a leading cause of death and a health threat to millions worldwide. Rape, murder, torture and other human rights abuses followed the scramble to exploit congos wealth after war exploded in 1998. The democratic republic of the congo problems, progress and prospects. Outdoor air pollution is a mix of chemicals, particulate matter, and biological materials that react with each other to form tiny hazardous particles. Kinshasa, largest city and capital of the democratic republic of the congo. After gaining independence, the congo immediately struggled by massive economic, political, and social problems. The democratic republic of congo has been experiencing the same war for over two decades, and there is a strong correlation between the countrys demographic indicator rates and the conflict world factbook.
Democratic republic of the congo displaced people, women. Democratic republic of congo overview world bank group. What are the problems facing the democratic republic of. Other concerning problems include child malnutrition and outbreaks of. Kinshasanairobi, 22 march 2011 the democratic republic of the congo drc possesses over half of africas water reserves, yet 74 percent of its population. Economic development 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. Since the war that took place in august of 1998, the drc has encountered many internal problems over the recent decade. In terms of population size, dr congo is the fourth most populous country in africa today with a population of about 81. Poverty in the democratic republic of the congo the borgen. Then the armed forces mutinied, and separatist movements and intertribal conflict threatened to split the country. 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. Infectious diseases, like malaria, divert intentions for economic investments. Dec 16, 2012 last month, as i was driving down a backbreaking road between goma, a provincial capital in the democratic republic of congo, and kibumba, a little market town about 20 miles away, i came upon the.
Lack of good drinking water and water for domestic purpose remains another major problem facing dr congo today. The crisis has led to an eightfold increase in hunger. 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. Religious beliefs in the democratic republic of the congo. The drcs high incidence of poverty is partly attributable to the ethnic conflict that spilled over from neighboring rwanda and an ongoing civil war between government troops and rebel groups in eastern congo.
Serious violence in the democratic republic of the congo has led to mass displacement with many people finding themselves far from their homes and unable to grow their own food. Backgrounder on democratic republic of the congo printable version may the risen lord break down the walls of hostility that today divide brothers and sisters, especially in south sudan and the democratic republic of congo. Addressing cholera in the democratic republic of congo involves improving the access to safe water and sanitation, including creating water treatment systems and sewage management systems. Attacks on civilians by armed groups and government forces. Tuberculosis risk tuberculosis is highly endemic in the democratic republic of the congo. The 1533 democratic republic of the congo drc sanctions regime expires on. The state of democracy in the democratic republic of congo. Congolese soldiers from the armed forces of the democratic republic of congo fardc rest in the forest after the army took control of an allied democratic forces adf rebel camp near the town of.
Foreign missionaries operate freely within the democratic republic of the congo and consequently, the country has been influenced a great deal by other countries when it comes to religion. It lies about 320 miles 515 km from the atlantic ocean on the south bank of the congo river. Dr congo is a vast country with immense economic resources and, until recently, has. In the democratic republic of congo, journalists struggle. The issues that need to be resolved within the country are. Approximately 760 million people around the world lack the critical access to clean water that would prevent them from contracting cholera.
May 12, 2009 congo, republic of the roc the most significant environmental problems in the congo are deforestation, increases in urban population, and the protection of its wildlife. On june 30, 1960, the newly independent republic of the congo was inaugurated, having its first head of state, joseph kasavubu and its premier, patrice lumumba. Drc is now the second largest hunger crisis in the world after yemen. As covid19 creeps across the region, fears mount over how it will unfold. 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.
Mobutu caused much discord and civil war, but eventually due to a rebel group lead by laurent kabila with help from rwanda and uganda, mobutus regime was toppled. The democratic republic of the congo drc, the secondlargest country in africa, has been mired in conflict for decades. The drc contains half of africas tropical forest and the second largest continuous tropical forest in the world. An explanation of the countrys population problems 1163 words 5 pages. Examining the terrible rape problem that afflicts the democratic republic of the congo drc at least 200,000 people have been. The democratic republic of congo formerly zaire has a long history of conflict, but its recent crises can be traced to the aftermath of the 1994 rwandan genocide. Because of unrest and economic instability, the democratic republic of the congo has mostly escaped the industrialscale deforestation that has taken. 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. Major problems facing dr congo today africa and the.
Nov 20, 2012 the democratic republic of congo is slowly recovering from a conflict known as africas first world war, which led to the loss of some five million lives between 1994 and 2003, but many eastern. The democratic republic of the congo drc education system is plagued by low coverage and poor quality. Aug 27, 2018 security council urges democratic republic of congo to resolve outstanding problems in less than four months before critical elections. Tb can be acquired by breathing contaminated air droplets coughed or sneezed by a person. The democratic republic of congo drc has one of the highest incidences of poverty in the world. 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. The democratic republic of congos rape problem youtube. Feb 28, 2020 democratic republic of the congo, country located in central africa. Democratic republic of congo also known as congo kinshasa is the 2nd largest country in africa by total land area. What are the problems facing the democratic republic of the. 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.
The democratic republic of the congo is extremely rich in natural resources but has had political instability, a lack of infrastructure, issues with corruption and centuries of both commercial and colonial extraction and exploitation with little holistic development. Democratic republic of the congo news top stories from. Jul 27, 2018 the democratic republic of the congo has also adopted freedom of religion as a basic human right in its constitution. Democratic republic of the congo world the guardian. Although the war in congo officially ended in 2003, two million people have died. This in turn has created a food crisis with new cases of acute malnutrition among children under five. 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. Jan 22, 2016 jed advocates for a modification of the media legal framework in the democratic republic of congo drc and is one of the main civil society organizations participating in the current political. The congo s forests are endangered by fires set to clean the land for agricultural purposes. 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 throughout 2018, government officials and security forces carried out widespread repression and serious human rights violations against political opposition leaders and. These plans have put forest management in the hands of local communitieswhich has been shown to be among the most. Democratic republic of congo cdc center for global health.
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. Measles kills 6,000 in democratic republic of congo, the. Dr congo has a total land area of about 2,344,858sq. In response to violence carried out by exiled rwandan hutu genocidaires, rwandan and ugandan forces invaded the democratic republic. Health in the democratic republic of the congo wikipedia. Poverty in the democratic republic of the congo the.
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