NO REPRIEVE FOR THE CONGO

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1 Democratic Republic of Congo NO REPRIEVE FOR THE CONGO Bruno Zanzottera PARALLELOZERO

2 The musical group composed of paraplegics, Staff Benda Bilili, performs in a district of Kinshasa.

3 On 19 December 2016 Joseph Kabila, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, finished his two presidential terms limited by the country s constitution, but refused to resign. He has not yet communicated the date of the elections to the nation. The population is fed up, and the country is increasingly militarised: there are many forms of dissent and tensions are increasing in different regions of the country, for example in Central Kasai where thousands of people have already died, and in Northern Kivu, where citizens have been tormented by a conflict that has lasted years. Kabila is obsessed with power, which is also dictated by the economic interests he derives from a nation rich in raw materials: in fact, the DRC is a treasure chest of gold, coltan, diamonds, cassiterite, silver, copper, cobalt... This wealth generates abuses of power, infighting and strong opposition in a state as large as Western Europe. The economy is on its knees and there are increasing numbers of displaced citizens fleeing the war zones: they pour into the slums of Kinshasa, which now has almost 12 million inhabitants, or travel to refugee camps and neighbouring countries. The health situation is also worrying, since access to medical care is impossible for many. Meanwhile, the great Congo River continues to flow majestic and elephantine, connecting the remote villages of the forest whose population is mainly supported by fishing and, not infrequently, dies of measles, cholera, malaria and malnutrition. However, the indomitable strength of the DRC is in its people who work hard for a better future; they have created exciting initiatives such as musical bands formed by disabled persons or groups of engineers who design robots to direct traffic in the capital s streets. Text by Valentina G. Milani

4 The Mugunga 2 refugee camp near Goma in the Northern Kivu region.

5 A policeman armed with a tear-gas gun patrols the streets of Kinshasa.

6 Road works performed by children in Kinshasa.

7 Miners at work in prohibitive conditions in the Mukwenge-Maroc gold mine in the mountains of the Southern Kivu region.

8 Lorries drive onto the ferryboat that crosses the Congo River in Kisangani.

9 Dr Denis Mukwege, founder of the Panzi Hospital near Bukavu in the Southern Kivu region, where he helps girls and women who are victims of rape. He has been the victim of various attacks and was awarded the Legion of Honour for his involvement in civil society.

10 Washing up in the latrines of the Bukavu prison in the Southern Kivu region.

11 A pro-kabila poster in the small town of Kindu.

12 Thérése Kirongozi, director of the company Women s Technology and creator of the robots that direct traffic in the streets of Kinshasa. The one behind her is the first to have a feminine appearance.

13 A boat sailing on the Congo River in the equatorial region of Tshopo.

14 A seller in Bukavu on the hills overlooking Kivu.

15 Patient Ligodi, a young journalist and director of the website Actualité Congo which deals with political topics. He and his collaborators have often been threatened and incarcerated for this reason.

16 Dugouts on the Congo River in Lowa in the equatorial region of the Tshopo.

17 A Catholic marriage in the district of Nyamugo, one of the poorest in Bukavu in the Southern Kivu region.

18 Car scrap on the streets of Kinshasa.

19 Youth from the wealthy Kinshasa in the pool of the Cité du Fleuve, a residential neighbourhood under construction on an artificial island on the Congo River in Kinshasa, surrounded by slums.

20 Miners at work in prohibitive conditions in the Mukwenge-Maroc gold mine in the mountains of the Southern Kivu region.

21 A boy in the Bukavu prison bears signs of burns he was inflicted with for an attempted theft. Only the intervention of the guards saved him from the stake.

22 Ore refinery at the headquarters of a cassiterite and coltan trader in Bukavu in the Southern Kivu region.

23 A playground in Kinshasa.

24 A sapeur - a Congolese who dresses in a particularly showy and elegant fashion - at the concert of the musical star Werrason in Kinshasa.

25 An inhabitant of Lowa in the equatorial region of Tshopo goes to the well to get water.

26 A young possessed boy is exorcised by a Catholic missionary in Bukavu.

27 One of Kinshasa s slums on the banks of the river. In the background, the buildings of the new residential district Cité du Fleuve can be seen.

28 PARALLELOZERO, VIA DONATELLO 19/A, MILAN - INFO@PARALLELOZERO.COM

Country Targeting Strategy 2011/12

Country Targeting Strategy 2011/12 Country Intelligence Democratic Republic of Congo September 2011 The data and analysis in this report are meant for information only, and do not constitute the views