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Discovered in the 1990’s, human remains in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been dated to approximately 90,000 years ago. The first real states, such as the Kongo, the Lunda, the Luba and Kuba, appeared southern Equatorial coastal forests|equatorial forest]] on the savannah from the 14th century onwards.
Laurent-Désiré Kabila or simply Laurent Kabila, was a Congolese revolutionary and politician who served as the third President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from May 17, 1997, when he overthrew Mobutu Sese Seko, until his assassination on January 16, 2001. He was succeeded eight days later by his 29-year-old son Joseph.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DROC, the DRC, or simply either Congo or the Congo, and historically Zaire, is a country in Central Africa. It is, by area, the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa, the second-largest in all of Africa, and the 11th-largest in the world. With a population of around 105 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most populous officially Francophone country in the world, as well as the 4th-most populous country in Africa and the 15th-most populous country in the world. It is a member of the United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, African Union, and COMESA. Since 2015, the Eastern DR Congo has been the site of an ongoing military conflict in Kivu. The capital and largest city is Kinshasa.
Joseph Kabila Kabange is a Congolese politician who served as President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between January 2001 and January 2019. He took office ten days after the assassination of his father, President Laurent-Désiré Kabila. He was elected as president in 2006 and re-elected in 2011 for a second term. Since stepping down after the 2018 election, Kabila, as a former president, will be a senator for life, according to the Constitution of the DRC.
The Second Congo War began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August 1998, little more than a year after the First Congo War, and involved some of the same issues. The war officially ended in July 2003, when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power. Although a peace agreement was signed in 2002, violence has continued in many regions of the country, especially in the east. Hostilities have continued since the ongoing Lord's Resistance Army insurgency, and the Kivu and Ituri conflicts.
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Étienne Tshisekedi wa Mulumba was a Congolese politician and the leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the main opposing political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A long-time opposition leader, he served as Prime Minister of the country on three brief occasions: in 1991, 1992–1993, and 1997.
Ernest Wamba dia Wamba was a prominent Congolese academic and political theorist who became a commander of the Kisangani faction of the rebel Rally for Congolese Democracy during the Second Congo War.
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Corruption in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, once legendary, has diminished in recent years, but continues to exceed corruption in most states. The BBC's DRC country profile calls its recent history "one of civil war and corruption." President Joseph Kabila established the Commission of Repression of Economic Crimes upon his ascension to power in 2001.
General John Numbi is a Congolese military officer. Until January 2010, he was the Inspector General of the Congolese National Police. In 2018 he was appointed as the Inspector General of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC).
Justine M'Poyo Kasa-Vubu is a Congolese politician and leader of a small political party, the Movement of the Congolese Democrats, for whom she stood as a Presidential candidate in the 2006 elections.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a truth commission which ran from July 2003 - February 2007 to investigate and promote national unity as a response to the atrocities committed in the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo between the Congolese army, Congolese rebels, and foreign insurgents.
The Katangese Tigers or the Tigres are Katangese fighters.
Laurent-Désiré Kabila, the incumbent President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was assassinated on 16 January 2001 in his office inside his official residence at the Palais de Marbre, Kinshasa. The assassin who killed him was an 18 year old boy named Rashidi Kasereka, who was later shot dead. It was believed that some former child soldiers (kadogos) were part of this plan.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Michigan State University Press Authors Biography for Jacques Depelchin". Archived from the original on 2010-06-30. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
- ↑ "AfricaFiles | "This war must end"". www.africafiles.org. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
- 1 2 Gana, Aaron Tsado; Samuel G. Egwu (2003). Federalism in Africa: The imperative of democratic development. Africa World Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-59221-080-0 . Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ↑ Duke, Lynne (22 May 1995). "Congo Waits For List of New Rulers; Kabila's Government Still Unannounced". Washington Post. Retrieved 2 Feb 2011.
- ↑ Fisher, Ian (13 Feb 2000). "Congo's War Overshadows Tribal Fight". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 Feb 2011.
- ↑ Depelchin, Jacques (2011-01-01). Reclaiming African History. Cape Town: Pambazuka Press. ISBN 9781906387983.
- ↑ Depelchin, Jacques (2000-09-05). Silences in African History. Dar es-Salaam: Mkuki Na Nyota Publishers. ISBN 9789976973730.
