“The sexual violence in Congo is the worst in the world,” said John Holmes, the United Nations under secretary general for humanitarian affairs. “The sheer numbers, the wholesale brutality, the culture of impunity – it’s appalling.”

OVERVIEW

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been in an unimaginable humanitarian crisis for decades. Plagued with fighting, sexual violence, and disease the conflict in the Congo has claimed the lives of over 5.4 million Congolese since 1998. Women are at the forefront of the brutality of the war, 2 out of 3 having been subjected to extreme sexual violence and rape. With the lack of healthcare facilities, schools, and being denied the ability to earn an income, millions of families are displaced and torn apart, left without a means to survive. Thousands of children are recruited to become soldiers and millions of other congolese people are torn from their homes and placed in overcrowded camps or with host families.

 
  • The Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire, is the third largest county in Africa.

  • The Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) has an estimated population of 7.7 million.

  • The DRC is the 4th most populous country in Africa & the 19th most populous in the world.

  • There are over 200 ethnic groups in the DRC.

  • The DRC borders nine countries: Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola & the Central African Republic

  • The DRC is rich in minerals including diamonds, oil, cobalt & copper.