DR Congo: Five facts

The second largest country in Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo is blessed with oil, timber, diamonds and gold but cursed with violence, instability, graft and poverty. The country has been run by a string of strongmen, including General Joseph-Desire Mobutu who staged a coup in 1965, renamed the country Zaire, and set up a dictatorial kleptocracy that lasted 32 years. In 1997 he was toppled by rebel leader Laurent Kabila, who renamed the country the Democratic Republic of Congo.