Democatic Republic of Congo

Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a country located in Central Africa. It was formerly
known as Zaire and was colonized by Belgium in 1908. The country gained independence in 1960 under
the leadership of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. The current president is Felix Tshisekedi and his
administration has been in power since 2019. The national flag is composed of a blue background with a
yellow star, red triangle and yellow stripe across the middle.
The history of Congo is closely intertwined with its turbulent colonial past and struggles for
independence. For centuries before colonization, Congo had many kingdoms and empires including
those of the Kongo, Luba-Lunda, Bateke and Ndongo peoples. During colonization Belgian control over
the region saw a period of repressions and exploitation that led to revolts which were harshly
suppressed by military forces loyal to King Leopold II. In 1961 following a period of political unrest
Joseph Kasavubu was elected President and it wasn’t until Mobutu Sese Seko took power through a
coup d’état that significant changes were made towards modernisation throughout the country.
In 1996 conflict broke out between rebel forces supported by neighboring Rwanda, Uganda, Angola and
Burundi leading to civil war lasting for five years which ended with the signing of a peace agreement in
2002 followed by elections that brought an end to Mobutu’s 32year rule. A transitional period between
2003-2006 saw Laurent Kabila become President but he was assassinated in 2001 leading to his son
Joseph Kabila taking over as head of state until he stepped down in 2019 after 18 years prompting Felix
Tshisekedi’s election as President.
Since then, Congo has faced numerous challenges from ongoing violence from armed groups operating
within its borders to political unrest caused by allegations of voter fraud during 2018 presidential
elections whilst also struggling economically due to weak infrastructure development throughout much
parts of rural areas coupled with endemic corruption among politicians further exacerbated by low
foreign investment due to instability concerns amid rising resource nationalism
Despite these difficulties Congo remains one of Africa’s most resource-rich countries possessing vast
mineral wealth estimated at over $24 trillion dollars while also having some of the continent’s largest
reserves of crude oil; providing important sources for both domestic economic growth and foreign
investment opportunities provided effective governance implemented going forward can be
maintained.