http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iMGkcxCx9iZPrr-0G3QgoHKE4YpgD9IL0KAG3?docId=D9IL0KAG3
http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/africa-states-independence/2010/10/2010104111239448417.html
http://accra-mail.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25086:dr-congo-un-helps-seize-rebel-leader-presumed-responsible-for-mass-rape&catid=70:africa&Itemid=219
http://www.hrea.org/index.php?base_id=2&language_id=1&headline_id=12119
Basically, there is still a ton of human rights violations going on in the DRC. Recently, a man who threw a stone at the president was jailed and then found to have committed suicide with a pillow case, although it is a known fact that DRC jails do not have pillows. There was also a huge mass rape that occurred during the summer, and although the leader responsible for ordering it has been seized, people are still very concerned about making sure that the victims are compensated. There is not much going on to prevent these things from happening or stop them. Mostly people are being punished after the fact. Everything is very chaotic, and the yearly income is $300, less than when it was still under Belgium control. This makes the Congo the poorest country in the world. Although the UN is trying to be helpful, it does not seem like there are any long term improvements or plans being made. It is difficult to do this though because there are so many crimes to deal with, both present and past. I feel like perhaps because the attitude of the world towards the Congo is so negative, the country does not feel supported, especially in the past where there is a history of sort of contradictory interference by other countries (BBC). Another problem is that leaders of the Congo seem to not last very long, and it is very difficult for them to get a leader that is popular. Because of the difficulties of leading the Congo, most leaders seem to resort to extreme violence, especially because the rebels as well are very violent. However, this gives the Congo the appearance of being very chaotic and dangerous. Although Aljazeera claims that the DRC is a "sleeping giant" and could potentially be a world power with all of it's natural resources, it also says that because of all the violence and human rights violations in the DRC, this is not likely. Really, the Congo is just a huge mess. Not really sure if this is because of what Leopold caused there, however, because of the Belgium government's hasty withdrawal and poor management skills, plus killing off the only extremely popular leader the DRC has had, I think there is definitely a cause and affect here. Much of what has happened in the DRC is an affect of the treatment the Congo received from King Leopold II and the Belgium government.
