Democratic Republic of the Congo dangerous

This item appears on page 17 of the June 2010 issue.

The Department of State continues to warn of the risks of traveling to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo-Kinshasa).

Both government soldiers and rebel fighters — located especially in North Kivu, South Kivu, Orientale and Bas-Congo provinces as well as in the northern part of Katanga province — are known to pillage, steal vehicles, kidnap, rape and kill.

In two separate incidents in early April 2010, one in Equateur province in the western DRC and one in South Kivu province in the east, foreigners were kidnapped by armed militia groups. Travelers are frequently detained at roadblocks, where requests for bribes are extremely common. Kinshasa remains a critical crime threat area, including robbery by groups posing as law enforcement.