Kabila even announced elections for December , something which he had already promised in Now it is suspected that his government may once again postpone the elections. There is violence, poverty, and people must pay even to study at a public university. All because of him. The most upscale region of the city is Gombe, flanked by the Congo river — a waterway which runs for 7.
In that neighborhood are the main government buildings, embassies, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, bars, and nightclubs. Outside, poverty is supreme.
In peripheral neighborhoods and countryside towns, there is hardly any sewage system. Electricity is shut down without any warning. Drinking tap water is not advisable. Few roads and streets are paved. Even among families of people who have jobs some only eat once a day — sometimes, once every two days. When they eat, they often cook their meals outdoors, in fires on the ground. In that year, Congo turned a page of its history and ceased to be a colony of Belgium.
Historians tell that King Leopold II for decades made the country his private amusement park. It was during his regimes that natural resources began to be confiscated and Belgian chocolates became famous due to the African cocoa shipped to Brussels. In Mobutu Sese Seko seized power. The new president changed the name of the country to Zaire and installed an authoritarian system.
To learn more about cookies, click here. Where We Work Republic of the Congo. The World Bank in the Republic of Congo The World Bank supports the following sectors in the Republic of Congo: infrastructure, human development, agriculture, and governance and private sector development. Republic of the Congo Overview. Political situation President Denis Sassou Nguesso, who headed the country from to , was returned to power in , winning all the elections since and, more recently, the March election.
Social situation With a human capital index of 0. Economic situation Between and , the real growth rate averaged Last Updated: Sep 29, Economy and Infrastructure Support to Enterprise Development and Competitiveness Project PADEC This project is contributing to entrepreneurship promotion and development by supporting enterprise creation, development, and competitiveness.
Water, Electricity, and Urban Development Project PEEDU This project, which is aimed at improving access to urban water and electricity services in Brazzaville and Pointe Noire, has provided better drainage facilities to close to , persons in the areas covered by the project, along with access to all-season roads within a meter radius and access by nearly , persons in urban areas to improved water sources.
Human Capital and Social Protection As part of the Lisungi Safety Nets System project , a cash transfer program was developed and piloted to provide households with access to food, health, and education, and to establish a safety net program to strengthen the social protection system. What's New. In Depth. Oct 06, Additional Resources. Country Office Contacts. Main Office Contact. Nkrumah assured Lumumba that he had the support of the rest of Africa in his fight for independence, and Lumumba returned to the Congo with confidence and new methods bit vague learnt from Nkrumah.
He gave moving speeches, got the support of the masses and during the unrest called for strikes. He was very successful as a result of the poverty and living and working conditions of those living in the Congo. During the situation in the Congo changed, and the Belgians realized that they would not be able to maintain indefinitely. The United Nations also put pressure on them to reconsider their position in Africa. The situation in the Congo became increasing unstable as conflict developed in Rwanda- Burundi, as the Batutsi tried to keep the social position they had been given over the Bahutu under Belgian and German rule.
The Belgians switched their support to the Bahutu, which resulted in the murder of many Batutsi as the Belgians lost further control. During the crisis Congolese leaders were called to discussions in Ostend, Belgium where it was promised that no more foreign soldiers would be sent to the Congo, and that it would become independent under a central government.
Meanwhile, Association des Bakongos Abako , a party desiring the restoration of the ancient Kongo kingdom, with Joseph Kasavubu as leader, got the majority at the local level. The result was thus indecisive, but Lumumba managed to form a government before the 30 June day of independence.
Lumumba became Prime Minister, with Kasavubu as President. Problems however began immediately. At independence celebrations the Belgian King spoke of the bond between Belgium and the Congo, but Lumumba criticized Belgium and the oppression and exploitation experienced under colonial rule.
A few days later the Congolese Army turned on Belgian officers and their families. When Belgian troops stepped forward in support of the Belgian officers, tensions rose and the army, joined by other Congolese started attacking other whites.
Many whites fled the country, and conflict rose between tribes. At the request of Lumumba, the United Nations UN stepped in to replace the withdrawing Belgian army, but had little success.
Problems in Rwanda-Burundi also continued, and this area, while under UN control in , became independent. Bloodshed continued in Rwanda as the Batutsi were attacked by the Bahutu. Mining interests in the country were also of utmost importance to their decision-making. In September Lumumba was arrested by his press secretary, Joseph Mobutu, and during detention he began considering ties with the Soviet Union. This was something that the West was not prepared to tolerate considering the mineral wealth of the Congo.
An army mutiny called for the release of Lumumba, and other politicians in Leopoldville began to realize that he was gaining popular support. Lumumba attempted an escape, but was recaptured.
On the order of Tshombe in early , Lumumba was murdered in circumstances clouded with intrigue. Only in was Katanga eventually reintegrated into the Congo, and by this time American influence in the country had increased considerably.
From to there were significant peasant uprisings across the Congo. He developed his own ideology- Mulelism- that incorporated Marxist ideas but adapted them for the African peasantry. In other areas there were yet more cases of resistance against the new elite who took power after the elimination of Lumumba.
Corrupt practices and political instability in the country reminded people of the situation under the Belgians. Eventually in Mobuto was able to gain power in certain areas, and, with the help of Western mercenaries and American support, he was able to spread his control across the Congo.
Mobuto began to run a country which received millions of dollars in aid from Western countries. Sadly the majority of this never reached or had an effect on those for whom it was destined, as the kleptocrat Mobutu diverted the money to his own accounts.
The Congo, or what he renamed Zaire, remained poor and unemployment and suffering continued. Even Congolese officials came to rely fully on bribes in order of ensure some sort of income. The West watched passively, continuing to trade with the ruler of one of the most mineral rich states in Africa. Even after rumours concerning the level of corruption and self-enrichment in the country reached Western policy makers, they chose to continue pumping money into the Congo.
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