Republic of Congo
Republic of Congo is a country in west central Africa on the Equator with a population of about four million and capital city of Brazzaville. The jungle in the north is mostly uninhabited. [1]
The BBC says of the country, "the former French colony experienced the first of two destructive bouts of fighting when disputed parliamentary elections in 1993 led to bloody, ethnically-based fighting between pro-government forces and the opposition. A ceasefire and the inclusion of some opposition members in the government helped to restore peace. But in 1997 ethnic and political tensions exploded into a full-scale civil war, fuelled in part by the prize of the country's offshore oil wealth, which motivated many of the warlords." [2]
Contents
Media
The BBC says of the country's media:
- News broadcasts on state-run radio and television stations generally reflect the government line. A 2001 press law abolished jail sentences for libel and insult, but retained the punishment for incitement to violence and racism. The newspapers which appear in Brazzaville are all privately-owned. Some of them carry criticism of the government.[2]
Leaders
- Denis Sassou-Nguesso, President
Resources
Related SourceWatch articles
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Henri Lopes - former prime minister
References
- ↑ Congo, National Geographic, accessed March 2008.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Country profile: Republic of Congo, BBC, accessed March 2008.
External resources
- Timeline: Republic of Congo, BBC, accessed March 2008.
