The Congo and The DRC/Zaire

Related issues


Marien Ngouabi, assumed the presidency of the Congo on December 31, 1968, after the coup earlier that month. A year later proclaimed Congo Africa's first "people's republic" and thus the People's Republic of the Congo was born. Joachim Yhombi-Opango came to office in 1977 and was forced from office by Denis Sassou Nguesso in 1979. He ruled mostly via fear and terror, plus the odd bit of patronage and nepotism.

Sassou Nguesso aligned the country with the Eastern Bloc and signed a twenty-year friendship pact with the Soviet Union.

Pascal Lissouba, who became Congo's first elected president 1992–1997, but a civil war broke out in Congo in mid-1997. It devastated most of Brazzaville and killed thousands of Congolese.

In early October, the Angolan socialist régime began an invasion of Congo and installed Sassou back in power by mid-October.

In the controversial elections in 2002, Sassou won with almost 90% of the vote cast. The opposition were mostly banned from running and the only one who was not banned boycotted the vote. Sassou passed a new constitution that restored a lot of what he was able to do in the communist era. A rebellion occurred in the Pool Region during 2003, but Pastor Ntumi soon singed a peace treaty and gave up the fight.

Sassou also won the following presidential election in July 2009, but it was also seen as very dodgy by most Western states. The results were, according to the Congolese Observatory of Human Rights, a non-governmental organization, the election was marked by "very low" turnout and "fraud and irregularities". About all that changed was that Sassou now ruled through more fraud than thugery and he was noticeably less left wing.