Zambia and children impacted by armed conflicts

It is more likely than not that the average household in the DRC is poor and has more dependent persons, especially children. The DRC stands as one of the poorest countries in the world, with 77% of the population living in poverty and on less than $1.90 per day. Simply put, the DRC is in a constant state of war and political upheaval because the Congolese government is at war with its own people (HRW, 2018).

The DRC continues to experience brutal political repression and delays in democratic elections, where state security forces use violence to exercise power over Congolese civilians (HRW, 2018). Yet, the newly created Parliament failed as power remained concentrated in Kabila’s authority until 2001 when Kabila was assassinated, and the trend continued under the rule of his son Joseph Kabila. After taking power in 1997, former President Laurent Kabila suspended democratic process in order to establish a new constitution that would allow for elected parliament (Kabemba, 2005). The socio-political context of the DRC is marred with conflicts that erupted in the 1990s following the overthrowing of Mobutu in 1997. Simply put, since the DRC gained independence, the country has experienced severe war-related and civil conflict.

Historically speaking, the DRC was under Belgian colonization for an 80-year period, and although the country gained independence in 1960, acts of torture became widespread against political opponents due to patterns of political instability and a large absence of democratic process (OHRC, 2005). It has a 25-mile coastal line along the Atlantic Ocean, but remains primarily landlocked with the bordering countries of Angola, Zambia, Tanzania and Congo, among others.

As of 2016, the total population of the DRC was 78.7 million, and further grew to 84.07 million in 2018. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (“DRC”) forms the largest country in size in the Sub-Saharan African region, and is the second largest country in Africa, second to Algeria.

Under-5 mortality rate: 99.39 ‰ DRC at a Glance

Zambia and children impacted by armed conflicts