DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – International Relations)

Context: Renewed clashes in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have triggered global alarm and exacerbated the already dire humanitarian crisis in the region.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

• About: The DRC, often referred to as Congo-Kinshasa or simply the Congo is situated in Central Africa.

oIt ranks as the second-largest country in Africa in terms of land area and the 11th-largest globally.

• Population: With a population of approximately 112 million people, the DRC holds the distinction of being the most populous Francophone country worldwide.
• Capital: Kinshasa 
• Bordering Nations: The DRC shares its borders with a multitude of nations, including the Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania (across Lake Tanganyika), Zambia, and Angola.
• Marine Boundary:  it has a coastline along the South Atlantic Ocean.
• River: Congo River, or Zaire River
• Highest Mountain: Mount Stanley.

Roots of Conflict

• About: Originating in the 1990s, the conflict in the eastern region of the central African country stems from two civil wars, notably the Rwandan genocide in 1994 where extremist Hutus killed hundreds of thousands of minority ethnic Tutsis and Hutu moderates.