Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1997 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly named Zaire, is a country in Central Africa and by land area the second-largest country in Africa. The First Congo War, from 1996 to 1997, ended with the overthrow of Mobutu, and the name of the country was changed. The Second Congo War from 1998 to 2003 resulted in an estimated several million deaths and the assassination of President Laurent-Désiré Kabila. Kabila stepped down in 2019 after Félix Tshisekedi won the 2018 election, the first peaceful transition of power since independence.

Seat of power: Kinshasa

Rulers

Laurent-Désiré Kabila

President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1997–2001

Kabila led the ADFL, a rebel group that invaded Zaire and overthrew Mobutu during the First Congo War from 1996 to 1997. In 2001 he was assassinated by one of his bodyguards and succeeded by his 29-year-old son Joseph.

Portrait of Laurent-Désiré Kabila: Etienne Scholasse, European Communities, CC BY 4.0, file

Joseph Kabila

President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2001–2019

He took office ten days after the assassination of his father, President Laurent-Désiré Kabila, during the Second Congo War. As head of the transitional government, he helped organize electoral institutions and presided over the first free multi-party election in decades in the DRC.

Portrait of Joseph Kabila: U.S. Department of State from United States, Public domain, file

Félix Tshisekedi

President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2019 to today

He succeeded his father Étienne Tshisekedi as leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, the oldest and largest party in the DRC. The election marked the first peaceful transition of power since the independence of the DRC from Belgium in 1960. On 19 May 2024 there was a failed coup attempt against him, led by a group including opposition politician Christian Malanga.

Portrait of Félix Tshisekedi: U.S. Department of State, Public domain, file

Culture

The country is named after the Congo River, which flows through the country. The Congo River is the world's deepest river and the world's third-largest river by discharge.
French is the official and most widely spoken language. There are over 200 indigenous languages, of which Lingala is the most widely spoken.
The country is the world's largest producer of cobalt ore, accounting for 70% of global production in 2023.
Over 120 armed groups remain active, concentrated in the east. The city of Goma was occupied by the M23 rebels in 2012 and again since 2025.

Picture

The Palace of the Nation is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the northern part of Kinshasa.

Image: Self, Public domain, file

Sources

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.