Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa, is a central African state that exhibits low performance across all four categories of the Global State of Democracy framework. It is among the bottom 25 percent of countries with regard to Representation, Rights, and the Rule of Law. DRC is economically dependent on its mining industry, which has left it vulnerable to commodity price fluctuations.
DRC gained independence from over five decades of Belgian colonization in 1960, which was characterised by corruption, human rights abuses, and impunity. These challenges continue in a country that has also endured decades of armed conflict in its eastern provinces and related humanitarian crises, and a history of autocratic clientelist political rule since its independence. Despite being burdened by one of the worst poverty rates in the world, its economic outlook is one of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.
DRC’s political history has been marked by extreme levels of graft. Former President Joseph-Desire Mobutu, who took power in a bloodless coup and ruled from 1965 to 1997, amassed a personal fortune of between 5 and 10 billion USD while using Western support to maintain political stability. Rampant corruption, often fuelled by the illegal mining of the country’s vast natural resources, has continued to mark the landscape. Armed conflict has also been a defining feature of the context, colouring the entire region; up to eight African countries have been involved at certain points. There are approximately one hundred rebel groups operating in DRC and some are believed to be supported by neighbouring states which has resulted in strained regional relations. Notably, Eastern DRC (North and South Kivu and Ituri) have become the site of ethnic conflict and violent resource competition, which have also resulted in controversial United Nations peacekeeping interventions dating to 1999. Long-standing ethnic tensions have resulted in discrimination and violence against groups such as the Ethnic Twa persons and Rwandaphones, while complex inter-communal violence between different ethnic groups persist.
DRC is among the world’s bottom 25 per cent with regard to performance on Gender Equality. Over the course of the conflict, it is estimated that as many as one million women have been raped and sexual violence has been used as a weapon of war. UN peacekeepers have also been accused of sexual exploitation. Despite the current efforts to promote gender equality, gender gaps in the labour market and low representation of women in political leadership require further incentives.
Looking ahead, DRC confronts numerous domestic and regional challenges to its democracy and human performance. The vast number of armed groups operating within the eastern part of its territory exacerbates the country’s ongoing humanitarian crises and highlights the state’s lack of control. The armed conflict in the east is likely to continue to negatively impact DRC’s performance across many of the Global State of Democracy Indices indicators. The widespread irregularities observed in the recent 2023 presidential elections underline the pressing need for electoral reforms. Despite advancements in the Rule of Law over the past five years, the recent reinstatement of the death penalty and a rise in the abduction and detention of civil society activists, opposition members and journalists raises concerns about Personal Integrity and Security.
Last updated: June 2024
https://www.idea.int.developmentzone.co/democracytracker/
July 2025
Former President Kabila tried for treason, insurrection and war crimes
On 25 July, the trial of former president Joseph Kabila began in a military court where he has been charged with treason, war crimes and organising an insurrection, crimes which could carry the death sentence. The charges relate to his alleged support to the M23 rebel group fighting an armed conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the political-military movement of which it is a part, Alliance Fleuve Congo (Congo River Alliance, AFC). Prosecutors described Kabila as one of the alliance’s ‘initiators’. M23 and the AFC both denied the allegations, and Kabila rejected the charges against him as ‘arbitrary’. In May, the Senate stripped Kabila of the lifetime immunity he enjoyed as a former president and in recent months authorities suspended his party, Parti du Peuple pour la Reconstruction et la Démocratie (People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy, PPRD) and banned media coverage of its activities. Kabila is being tried in absentia.
Sources: Barrons, Radio France Internationale, Le Monde, Jeune Afrique, International IDEA
June 2025
Regulator bans media coverage of former President Kabila’s political party
On 2 June, the Higher Council for Audiovisual and Communication (Le Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel et de la Communication, CSAC) issued an order banning media coverage of the activities of the political party of former President Jospeh Kabila, the Parti du Peuple pour la Reconstruction et la Démocratie (People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy, PPRD) and ‘offering space’ to its members. The ban was issued by for a period of 90 days, covering all private and public media, as well as digital platforms and social media. The CSAC warned that violators could be suspended and justified the restrictions by repeating government allegations that Kabila and the PPRD is supporting the M23 and allied rebel groups operating in the east of the country. The ban comes amid growing restrictions on the media and the PPRD, which was suspended in April.
Sources: Committee to Protect Journalists, Radio France Internationale, Congo Quotidien, International IDEA
May 2025
Former Prime Minister convicted of embezzling USD 245 million
On 20 May, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Constitutional Court convicted the country’s former Prime Minister Matata Ponyo Mapon of embezzling USD 245 million of public funds intended for a failed agricultural scheme launched in 2014, during his time in office. On the same day, the Court sentenced Ponyo to 10 years of forced labour. He was tried in absentia alongside former central bank governor, Deogratias Mutombo and South African businessman, Christo Grobler, both of whom were sentenced to five years of forced labour. None of the convicts was in custody at the time of sentencing. The case dates back to 2021 and is one of the most high-profile to have been brought against members of former President Kabila’s administration. Ponyo, who now leads the Leadership and Governance for Development (Leadership et Gouvernance pour le Développement, LGD) party, has maintained his innocence and his lawyer dismissed the verdict as being politically motivated.
Sources: Jeune Afrique, Reuters, Radio France Internationale, The Africa Report
April 2025
Political party of former President Kabila suspended for ‘ambiguous’ view on M23
On 19 April, the Interior Ministry announced that the Parti du Peuple pour la Reconstruction et la Démocratie (PPRD, People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy) had been suspended due to its ‘ambiguous’ position on the rebel group M23’s occupation of parts of the eastern provinces of the country. This came amid unconfirmed reports that party leader and former President Joseph Kabila had returned from self-imposed exile and was in the occupied city of Goma. The PPRD announced in early May that it had resumed its activities as, in its view, the suspension had expired. However, the government initiated a procedure to dissolve the PPRD (along with three other parties connected to varying degrees to armed groups) on 24 April. These potential dissolutions will now be the subject of court hearings.
Sources: Africa Radio, Al Jazeera, Africa News, Radio France Internationale
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