![]() "The DRC was on its knees 10 years ago," he says, a reference to the tumult and insecurity which reigned following the assassination of former president Laurent Kabila in 2001. Sitting in his office, high up on the 14th floor of Kinshasa's BCDC (Banque Commerciale du Congo) building, EU ambassador Richard Zink defends this high level of spending. In addition, two EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions are currently ongoing: one pushing for reform of the DRC’s corrupt and underpaid police force the other its military. The figures mean that the DRC is currently the largest recipient of EU support amongst the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), with a further €45 million to be spent on legislative and presidential elections this November. Last year the bloc spent €253 million on projects to improve the country’s rudimentary infrastructure and health system, as well as on initiatives to boost environmental protection and good governance. "Because there are some who would dearly love to be free from this chaotic government."Īmidst this heady mix sits the European Union, its logos and painted flags propping up repeatedly around the DRC. "Why do people still talk about a breakup of Congo?" asks pastor Tshibuabua as he stirs his cup wistfully. Estimates put the death toll at over 5 million people, largely due to famine and disease, making it the single most deadly struggle since the World War II. In the eastern Kivu provinces, a bitter conflict between armed groups continues to rumble on to this day, in defiance of a 2003 peace accord brokered by South Africa. Western donors have pumped in money over the past decade but results remain mixed and intangible for much of the population. Despite the country’s huge endowment of valuable natural resources - including diamonds, coltan and precious hardwoods - poverty remains widespread. Political cronyism and a poor distribution of wealth are clear problems in the DRC. "Three percent of Congolese are rich, the other 97 percent live in misery." "You need to know someone in power to give a recommendation for you," he says, aware that things could be different. A recent graduate in engineering studies, he has found it impossible to find work in the sector. Patsho, a newspaper vendor in his early 20s, enters the religious centre hoping to find customers. EU-funded workers in green suits clean out the drains of Kinshasa (Photo: Andrew Willis).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |