Many people ask the question. How are things going in the Congo? Or they ask. Are thing improving in the Congo?
Here's my assessment and answer to the question. For the part, except for eastern provinces, Congo continues to be stable and is making progress.
Although, the State Department warns US citizens of the risk of traveling to Congo. You have to read the travel warning to understand the situation. Most of the instability is in the eastern provinces of South Kivu and North Kivu. However, other provinces were mentioned. A high ranking State Department official sees "positive momentum", too.
I travel to the central provinces of West Kasai and East Kasai. They are not mentioned!
allAfrica.com: Africa: U.S. Official Sees Improvement in Africa's Great Lakes Region.
Assistant Secretary Carson pledges support to region's "positive momentum" The situation in Africa's Great Lakes region has improved and the United States remains "dedicated to doing what we can to keep that positive momentum going," the State Department's senior diplomat for African affairs told the U.S. Congress May 25.
In testimony before the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson said central to those efforts is improving the situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), "where the continuing presence of armed groups has been exacerbated by the lack of state authority." The assistant secretary was on Capitol Hill to brief lawmakers on the latest developments in the region.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's military, commonly referred to as FARDC (Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo) is "ineffective and frequently abusive," Carson told the lawmakers.