Civil wars and militia conflicts have plagued the Republic of Congo, which is sometimes referred to as Congo-Brazzaville.
• Full name: Republic of the Congo
• Population: 3.7 million (UN, 2010)
• Capital: Brazzaville
• Area: 342,000 sq km (132,047 sq miles)
• Major languages: French, indigenous African languages
• Major religions: Christianity, indigenous African beliefs
• Life expectancy: 53 years (men), 56 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc = 100 centimes
• Main exports: Oil, timber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
• GNI per capita: US $1,830 (World Bank, 2009)
• Internet domain: .cg
• International dialling code: +242
After three coup-ridden but relatively peaceful decades of independence, the former French colony experienced the first of two destructive bouts of fighting when disputed parliamentary elections in 1993 led to bloody, ethnically-based fighting between pro-government forces and the opposition.
A ceasefire and the inclusion of some opposition members in the government helped to restore peace.
Civil war
But in 1997 ethnic and political tensions exploded into a full-scale civil war, fuelled in part by the prize of the country's offshore oil wealth, which motivated many of the warlords.
The army split along ethnic lines, with most northern officers joining President Denis Sassou Nguesso's side, and most southerners backing the rebels. These were supporters of the former president, Pascal Lissouba, and his prime minister, Bernard Kolelas, who had been deposed by President Sassou Nguesso in 1997.
BBC
