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Republic of Congo
Warning
Between rampaging militias, a hair-trigger army and civil wars raging on its borders, the Republic of Congo is a mess. General Denis Sassou-Nguesso handed over power following 1992's elections, but his successor got on the wrong side of the army. By 1997 Sassou-Nguesso was back in power after a short but bloody civil war. Since that time, various militias with names like the Ninjas and the Cobras have battled government troops, creating hundreds of thousands of refugees and untold casualties. Fighting in Brazzaville, the capital, displaced more than 200,000 people from their homes. Many fled east into the Democratic Republic of Congo (Za�re), which was engulfed in its own civil war.
While the situation in much of the countryside is still grim, there have been some hopeful signs in recent years. A ceasefire between the rebels and the government was signed in 1999. The railway line between Brazzaville and Pointe Noire was reopened in August 2000. In April 2001, a public ceremony was held in Brazzaville, where guns were burnt to symbolise the Congolese desire for peace. Following this, the European Commission donated US$66,000 for the reintegration of unemployed ex-combatants into society.
In a relatively calm election in March 2002, Sassou-Nguesso was elected president by a landslide 90% of the vote. Barely two weeks later, violence flared up again as rebel Ninja gunmen attacked a train, killing two people. It was the first major attack since 1999's ceasefire. The army responded with a brief but frightening military operation in the southern section of Brazzaville, where opposition forces are concentrated. Tens of thousands of terrified people fled the city, but most returned a day later.
These recent events have clouded the once-hopeful outlook for Congo. As such, we strongly urge travellers to monitor the situation carefully and avoid the country until the violence is over.
Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government installed in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President SASSOU-NGUESSO.
The economy is a mixture of village agriculture and handicrafts, an industrial sector based largely on oil, support services, and a government characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s, rapidly rising oil revenues enabled the government to finance large-scale development projects with GDP growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. The government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings, contributing to a shortage of revenues. The 12 January 1994 devaluation of Franc Zone currencies by 50% resulted in inflation of 61% in 1994, but inflation has subsided since. Economic reform efforts continued with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. The reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted. Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving forward on economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with international financial institutions. However, economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which worsened the republic's budget deficit. The current administration presides over an uneasy internal peace and faces difficult economic problems of stimulating recovery and reducing poverty.
Congo
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Web Pages
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CIA Factbook - Congo - http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cf.html
Features map and brief descriptions of geography, economy, government, and people.
Congo (Brazzaville) - http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/congob.html
An annotated guide to internet resources.
BBC Country Profile: Republic of Congo - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1076794.stm
Basic information and links.
FOC Country Profile - Congo - http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394365&a=KCountryProfile&aid=1019672550816
Notes on geography, history, politics, economy, international relations, travel, current affairs.
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