Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), exhibits low performance in three out of four categories of the Global State of Democracy Framework, and mid-range performance in Participation. It is among the top 25 per cent of countries in Civic Engagement, but it is among the bottom 25 per cent with regard to several aspects of Rights, Participation, Rule of Law, and Representation. Despite its vast natural wealth—including minerals, biodiversity, and arable land—the DRC remains one of the world’s poorest countries, with over 70 per cent of its population living on less than $2.15 a day, and an economy heavily reliant on mining, making it vulnerable to commodity price fluctuations.
Before colonial rule, the area that is now the DRC hosted several major polities including the powerful kingdoms of Kongo and Luba-Lunda. Belgian colonization in the late nineteenth century brought the country under the control of King Leopold II and then the Belgian state, whose exploitative rule was marked by corruption, human rights abuses and impunity. These challenges have continued since independence in 1960, during which time the DRC has endured decades of armed conflict in its eastern provinces and related humanitarian crises, and a post-independence history of autocratic, clientelist governance.
The DRC’s political history has been marked by extreme levels of graft. Former President Joseph-Desire Mobutu, who ruled from 1965 to 1997, amassed a personal fortune of up to 10 billion USD while maintaining political stability through Western support. Rampant corruption, often fueled by illicit exploitation of natural resources, persists today. Armed conflict remains a defining feature of the context, with over 120 rebel groups operating in the country—some allegedly supported by neighboring states— straining regional relations. Notably, Eastern DRC (North and South Kivu and Ituri) has been the site of ethnic conflict and violent resource competition. In January 2025, these dynamics led to a significant escalation in the fighting between government security forces and a coalition of rebel groups led by the M23, worsening the acute humanitarian and human rights situation in the east. The government has responded to this security threat by restricting political and civic space; curtailing media reporting and suspending the political party of former President Joseph Kabila.
The DRC ranks among the world’s bottom 25 per cent of countries with regard to Gender Equality. Over the course of decades of armed 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 by all parties. UN peacekeepers have also faced accusations of sexual exploitation. Despite legal protections, persistent gender gaps exist in education, the labour market and political leadership. The LGBTQIA+ community, meanwhile, lacks legal protections and faces widespread discrimination, violence, and harassment from both state and non-state actors. 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.
Looking ahead, it will be important to continue to monitor the impacts of the armed conflict in the east of the country, including in the areas of Representation, Rights and the Rule of Law. Growing state censorship of the media and the political opposition, as well as the escalating humanitarian crisis and sexual violence mean that Free Political Parties, Freedom of the Press, Political Equality and Basic Welfare all warrant particular attention.
Updated: July 2025
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
September 2025
Former President Joseph Kabila sentenced to death in absentia
On 30 September, a military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) sentenced the country’s former president Joseph Kabila to death and fined him USD 33 billion, having found him guilty of treason, war crimes and organising an insurrection. The case relates to his alleged support to the M23 rebel group operating in the east of the DRC, and the political-military movement of which it is a part, Alliance Fleuve Congo (Congo River Alliance, AFC). However, Kabila has always denied the charges and many observers perceived the proceedings to be highly politicised, and judged the charges and sentences to be exaggerated, raising due process concerns. Chief among these was the fact that Kabila, who was tried in absentia, was not represented by legal counsel. While the death sentence is unlikely to be carried out (Kabila is living in exile), human rights experts warned that the trial is likely to have a chilling effect on the political opposition in the DRC.
Sources: Jeune Afrique, British Broadcasting Corporation (1), Human Rights Watch, British Broadcasting Corporation (2), International IDEA
Former Minister of Justice convicted of embezzling victims’ fund
On 2 September, a court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo convicted former Minister of Justice, Constant Mutamba, of embezzling USD 19.9 million from a public fund set up to compensate victims of war crimes committed by Ugandan troops in 2000. The Court of Cassation (Cour de cassation) found that Mutamba had illegally diverted the money to a company the government had contracted to build a prison and sentenced him to three years of forced labour and barred him from voting or running for election for five years. The victim fund was established in 2022 to receive USD 325 million in compensation that is being paid by Uganda in instalments, in accordance with a ruling from the International Court of Justice. However, according to a September report by the Centre for Research on Public Finance and Local Development, much of this money has been misappropriated, with less than two per cent of the USD 195 million received between 2022 and 2024 having been paid to beneficiaries.
Sources: Jeune Afrique (1), Justice Info (1), Justice Info (2), Jeune Afrique (2)
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
July 2025
Hundreds killed in M23 attacks in eastern DRC, despite peace efforts
At least 319 civilians had been killed in several attacks carried out by the M23 rebel group in July on villages and communities in the eastern province of North Kivu. It is one of the highest death tolls documented in such attacks since 2022. The rebels were reportedly aided by the Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF), which has allegedly been supporting the M23 in its ongoing armed conflict with the government of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other armed groups in the east of the country. According to Human Rights Watch, the killings were part of an M23 operation against the FDLR (Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda), an ethnic Hutu rebel group formed by the perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Most of those killed were Hutu, with many summarily executed. The allegations were denied by the M23 and the Rwandan government, who had both recently signed agreements with the DRC government intended to end the armed conflict.
Update: On 5 September 2025, the UN Human Rights Office’s Fact-Finding Mission on the situation in North and South Kivu published a report in which it found that since late 2024, all parties to the conflict in these provinces had committed rights abuses that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Sources: United Nations (1), Jeune Afrique, Human Rights Watch, British Broadcasting Corporation, United Nations (2)
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
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Global ranking per category of democratic performance in 2024
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