Dem. Rep. of the Congo

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (aka Congo-Kinshasa, or DRC), armed groups, bandits and elements of the Congolese military remain security concerns in the east and northeast, according to the US Department of State.

These armed groups are known to pillage, steal vehicles, kidnap, rape, kill and carry out military or paramilitary operations in which civilians are indiscriminately targeted.

The Lord’s Resistance Army is present near the border with Uganda, Central African Republic and the Republic of South Sudan. Although reduced, armed conflicts continue in these areas despite the signing of peace accords in 2008 and 2009.

The region has been the scene of violent clashes that have resulted in the displacement of more than 1.9 million civilians since the start of the Rwandan conflict in 1994.