Democracy and Governance in Democratic Republic of Congo
The DRC is emerging from years of civil war, long-term corruption, and
government mismanagement under the Mobutu and Laurent Kabila regimes. With the installation of
Joseph Kabila as President in January 2001, a political will emerged for intensified movement towards
peace, greater stability, and improved economic management. In 2003 peace agreements among all
former belligerents were reached, a new Transitional Government was formed, and uninvited foreign
forces left the Congo. National elections are scheduled for 2005. Despite the optimism that the start of
the transition brings to the DRC, poverty and despair still characterize the lives of most Congolese. The
infant and underfive
mortality rates are 126 and 213 per 1,000 live births respectively. The maternal
mortality ratio, among the highest in the world, is 1,289 deaths per 100,000 live births. Life expectancy is
estimated at only 46 years for men and 51 years for women. The estimated 55 million Congolese subsist
at a per capita Gross Domestic Product of $107. An estimated 3.4 million people are internally displaced
by armed conflict that still continues in parts of eastern DRC. The average literacy rate for the country is
68% (82% for males and 56% for females.) Persistent discrimination against women, including a still
valid law that requires women to obtain their husbands’ permission for basic legal acts such as obtaining
credit, severely undercuts development prospects. Human rights atrocities and the regular use of child
soldiers continue, particularly in the eastern portion of the country.
Given its size, population, and resources, the Congo is an important player in Africa and of long-term
interest to the United States. The United States seeks to strengthen the process of internal reconciliation
and democratization within the DRC to promote a stable, developing, and democratic nation. In
partnership with the Government of the DRC (GDRC), the United States is working to address security
interests on the continent and develop mutually beneficial economic relations.
(Excerpted from the 2005 Congressional Budget Justification for Democratic Republic of Congoi)
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