Congo-DRC

Congo-DRC(Formerly Zaire)

A. THE COUNTRY

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in Central Africa, is a failed
state that the current elected president is trying to rebuild.  The
rebel militias still operate using rape, mutilation, torture, theft,
cannibalism, enforcement of children into militia service and illicit
mining of diamonds and other resources.  The country has immense
economic possibilities from diamonds, mineral resources and agriculture.
The Congo River alone has the hydro-electric potential to power the
entire continent.  Anything resembling a nationwide economic or
political infrastructure was destroyed or paralyzed by the former
erratic and autocratic President Mobutu.  Conflicts in Congo have
yielded more deaths than any since WWII.

B. THE PEOPLE

The population is ~67,828,000 and the official language is French.
There are nearly 250 ethno-linguistic groups with ~214 languages.
An uncountable number of refugees and displaced peoples have moved back
and forth between DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania in the last
20 years.  Children under age 16 constitute 50% of the country’s
population.  Street children number ~250,000, and another 11,000 are
estimated to still be serving as child soldiers with various militia
groups.  ~80.2% are Bantu, ~9.8% Sudanic, ~4.3% Adamawa-Ubangis, ~1.5%
Nilotic, ~1.5% Pygmy, ~0.5% Other(Westerners, S. Asians, Arabs, others).

C. RELIGIONS AND CHRISTIANITY/PENTECOSTALISM

For the past three decades there has been religious freedom.  This has
resulted in the proliferation of new churches and sects.  Many social,
health and education services are now maintained by Christian groups in
lieu of a functioning government.  Animistic thought patterns, occult
influences and fear of witchcraft is present in the underlying culture
and pollutes the faith of millions of the church. 
~92.15% claim to be Christian, ~5.1% Ethnoreligionist, ~1.9% Muslim,
~0.38% Baha’i, ~0.32% Non-religious, ~0.15% Hindu.
In the Christian category:
~49.98% are Catholic, ~22.39% Protestant, ~20.19% Independent, ~0.76%
Anglican, ~0.04% Orthodox.
Evangelicals represent ~18.7% of the population.
Charismatics represent ~25.8% and of those ~6.3% are Pentecostals.