Country Report Congo (Democratic Republic) September 2009

You may have noticed that since the second quarter of this year, some additional content has started to appear in your monthly and quarterly CRs. We are now including a country map, and a range of basic data (selected to be useful for business travellers in particular), in every country report. For most countries, except a few where data is in very short supply, we are also including comparative economic indicators that show each country's position relative to regional peers, in easy-to-read graphical format.

In addition, for 176 countries, the Country Reports will now include an annual analysis of each country's position in the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index, which ranks countries in terms of their level of democracy, based on five key categories. These analyses were published in the second quarter of this year (in the April country reports for countries covered on a monthly basis, and in the second-quarter reports for those covered on a quarterly basis). Furthermore, as a new feature for more than 150 countries, an analysis of each country's ranking in our unique Quality of Life index will be published on an annual basis starting in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Some of this content has been migrated over to the Country Reports from another product, the Country Profile, which has now been discontinued. The difficult decision to close the Country Profile reflected limited client demand for this service as well as our view that much of the content included in this report is now available for free elsewhere. We would appreciate any feedback that you have on the migration of content from the Country Profiles to the Country Reports.

This report covers the following industry codes:
SIC Code: 53;10;49
NAICS Code: 44;212;22

• Important changes to Country Reports
• Summary
• Basic data
• Political structure
• Economic structure: Annual indicators
• Economic structure: Quarterly indicators
• Outlook for 2009-10: Domestic politics
• Outlook for 2009-10: The situation in the east
• Outlook for 2009-10: International relations
• Outlook for 2009-10: Policy trends
• Outlook for 2009-10: Fiscal policy
• Outlook for 2009-10: Monetary policy
• Outlook for 2009-10: International assumptions
• Outlook for 2009-10: Economic growth
• Outlook for 2009-10: Inflation
• Outlook for 2009-10: Exchange rates
• Outlook for 2009-10: External sector
• Outlook for 2009-10: Forecast summary
• The political scene: Ex-National Assembly speaker forms a new party
• The political scene: Voter registration for local elections begins
• The political scene: Mr Muzito's government is emasculated by the president
• The political scene: One in ten magistrates and prosecutors is sacked
• The political scene: UN rapporteur accuses the government on human rights
• The political scene: Covert support compromises operations against the FDLR
• The political scene: Kimia II exacts a heavy humanitarian toll
• The political scene: Summit seals restoration of relations with Rwanda
• The political scene: Rwanda brokers a settlement between rival CNDP factions
• The political scene: MONUC increases its deployment against the LRA
• The political scene: Jean-Pierre Bemba is formally charged by the ICC
• The political scene: Tension revives on the Ugandan border
• The political scene: US secretary of state's African tour takes in the DRC
• Economic policy: President takes charge of government expenditure
• Economic policy: A compromise over China's loan could enable a new PRGF
• The domestic economy: Real GDP growth is negative for four quarters
• The domestic economy: Inflation starts to decline
• The domestic economy: Review of Tenke Fungurume's mining contract is outstanding
• The domestic economy: BCC pays Gecamines' share of the Chinese signature bonus
• The domestic economy: Randgold buys Moto Gold after a bidding war
• The domestic economy: Report criticises companies dealing in minerals from DRC
• The domestic economy: Argument with Angola over offshore oil continues
• The domestic economy: Bids open for Inga III
• Foreign trade and payments: DRC hopes for new money from the IMF