Social conditions
The economic and social chaos that Mobutu Sese Seko left behind was further exacerbated by the great civil war of 1998–2003 and by the armed conflicts that raged in mainly the eastern and northeastern parts of the country. Nearly half of the children are malnourished and more than one in ten children die during their first year of life. Despite the country’s enormous potential, in 2006, approximately 80 percent of the population lived in poverty (below US $ 2/ day). Just over a quarter of rural Congolese have access to clean water (2008). Check to see Democratic Republic of the Congo population.
Health care is also poorly developed; there are ten hospital beds (2006) and fewer than one doctor (2004) per 10,000 residents. In 2007, qualified staff were available at three out of four deliveries. In 2009, 9.5 percent of public expenditure went to health care. Reliable statistics are lacking regarding the spread of HIV/AIDS, but according to UNAIDS estimates the problem is growing and in 2009, around 1.5 percent of the adult population was estimated to be infected.
Congo is one of the world’s most unequal societies. Visit AbbreviationFinder to see the definitions of DRC and acronym for Democratic Republic of the Congo. Significantly fewer girls than boys are given the opportunity to attend school and only 8 percent of MEPs are women. In recent years, the large number of rapes in eastern Congo has received a lot of attention.
The trade union movement in Congo grew with the support of the Belgian trade unions. Until 1946, black workers were not allowed to organize, but in 1951 a group of African workers defied the current rules and formed a subdivision of the Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique. During the first years of independence, Congo was characterized by great uncertainty, strikes and demonstrations, mainly due to the sharply raised food prices. During Mobutu’s time, the trade union movement was characterized by extreme fragmentation. Authorities and management often still ignore agreements they have signed themselves.
The commander of the United Nations troops in the country, Jan Isberg, declared that the rebels eventually left Bukavu. However, hundreds again demonstrated against the UN in the capital because the UN had not prevented the taking of Bukavu.
That same month, Kabila impeded a coup. The President announced that the situation in the country was under control and that approx. a dozen of the coup makers were arrested. Acc. the head of state was the leader of the uprising major in the presidential guard, Eric Lenge. He reached the state radio and TV station and broadcast the announcement that the Kabila government had fallen. He subsequently managed to disappear. This second coup attempt in 2004 took place a few days after the army recaptured Bukavu.
In August, Hutu rebels killed over 160 Congolese Tutsi refugees in the Gatumba camp in Burundi near the DR Congo border. Men armed with machetes and firearms attacked the camp, attacked its dilapidated huts, burned many refugees alive and killed those trying to escape. Predominantly women and children. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, condemned in sharp terms the massacre of innocent civilians.
In September, a loan of DKK 20 million was made. US $ from the World Bank enables the project «Support for primary education» to improve primary education, which has been hit hard by the armed conflict in the country. At the same time, the program must reduce the great inequality in access to education. Of the 20 million the 8.5 must be used for the reconstruction or restoration of schools and for the purchase of educational materials. At the same time, teachers, administrative staff, inspectors and managers must be trained and equipped with the necessary aids. Books are produced for teachers as well as books for elementary and middle school – especially in French, mathematics and ethics as a means to create the basis for a lasting peace. Young people between the ages of 14 and 18 who have never attended school, or who may have to leave it early, must be taught and the same applies to children from the minority groups. pygmies and twee.
In January 2005, an internal investigation revealed that UN peacekeeping troops had bought sex from girls for eggs and milk. These were girls down to the age of 13.