Kibati refugee campGoma, North Kivu - Democratic Republic of Congo. © Christian Als / Berlingske
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – with a territory the size of western Europe – borders nine countries in central Africa. It's home to almost half of all Africa’s forests as well as to extraordinary mineral wealth that could make it one of the most prosperous country on the continent. The potential is breathtaking, but the challenges are huge.
Decades of misrule and two civil wars have devastated the country and most of the people are desperately poor. As many as five million are thought to have died unnecessarily since the start of the civil wars in the late 1990s. The country also suffers acutely from a lack of infrastructure, with less than 2,000 km of useable, paved roads compared with 398,000km in the UK. Yet there is hope. Following the 2006 democratic elections, the first for 40 years, the DRC now has the opportunity to escape the cycle of conflict and suffering and realise its potential.