Nick Paulson

The country I was assigned to do research on is the Democratic Republic of Congo, or just Congo

(occasionally spelled with a K), formerly known as Zaire. The capital of this nation is Kinshasa, and

sometimes referred to as Congo-Kinshasa. Its population is approximately 82.24 million people. Congo’s

primary exports are refined copper and refined petroleum.

Congo is currently involved in a civil war, and the countries Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi are

helping the rebelling forces. However, Angola, Zimbabwe, Chad, Sudan, and Namibia are aiding the

current governing body. The invading allies’ forces, however, are taking advantage of their position by

confiscating millions of dollars of resources from Congo. Also, the neighboring countries that are aiding

either side of the Congo conflict are beginning to dispute borders as well.

A major conflict in Congolese history is the First Congo War, which took place between the years

1996-1997 AD. The war was between Congo and the invading Rwanda, who replaced the corrupt ruler

Mobutu with the rebel leader. Mobutu was a cruel oppressor that told soldiers to take whatever they

wanted from the civilians, which inspired many rebel movements. He also had support from the United

States of America since he was greatly opposed to communists. Many rebels fled away from the capital,

and therefore out of reach of Mobutu. Meanwhile in Rwanda, many fled to Congo after a massive

genocide in which at least hundreds were killed. The refugees fled into Congo, and once there Rwanda

invaded Congo to crush the refugees that had escaped. Ultimately, a rebel leader replaced the cruel

Mobutu. However, many other rebellions would rise in the next few years, inspiring the Second Congo

war.

The original inhabitants of Congo were people called the Mbuti or the Bambuti, and the

supreme deity of their pantheon was he hunter god Khonvoum, and their death god was Tore. The
Democratic Republic of Congo is truly an interesting place with a diverse, complicated, and intriguing

history.