Democratic Republic of Congo
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Countries
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Congo Brazza
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gabon
- Guinea
- Ivory Coast
- Mali
- Niger
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Togo
Other Regions
Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly called Zaire, is located in Central Africa, northeast of Angola. The capital is Kinshasa. Population was estimated at 56.6 million in 2003, and is growing at a rate of 2.9 percent. Population estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS. French is the official language.
The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - has declined drastically since the mid-1980s. The war, which began in August 1998, has dramatically reduced national output and government revenue, has increased external debt, and has resulted in the deaths from war, famine, and disease of perhaps 3.5 million people. Foreign businesses have curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. The war has intensified the impact of such basic problems as an uncertain legal framework, corruption, inflation, and lack of openness in government economic policy and financial operations. Conditions improved in late 2002 with the withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign troops.
Publications
- Information about street children in Democratic Republic of Congo
- What Future? Street Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo
- “Child witches”, child soldiers, child poverty and violence: Street children in crisis in theDemocratic Republic of Congo
- The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
- Struggling to Survive: Children in Armed Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- V. Abuses Against Street Children