BBC NEWS | Africa | DR Congo poll crucial for Africa

<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html> <head><script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=7YQSqjSh" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5209428.stm","20101202153903","https://web.archive.org/","web","https://web-static.archive.org/_static/", "1291304343"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=p7PEIJWi" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <title>BBC NEWS | Africa | DR Congo poll crucial for Africa</title> <meta name="contentFlavor" content="STORY"/> <meta name="keywords" content="BBC, News, BBC News, news online, world, uk, international, foreign, british, online, service"/> <meta name="OriginalPublicationDate" content="2006/11/16 11:04:16"/> <meta name="UKFS_URL" content="/1/hi/world/africa/5209428.stm"/> <meta name="IFS_URL" content="/2/hi/africa/5209428.stm"/> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"/> <link href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk/rss/newsonline_world_edition/africa/rss.xml" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="BBC NEWS | Africa"/> <link href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/africa/5209428.stm" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Low Graphics"/> <meta name="Headline" content="DR Congo poll crucial for Africa"/> <meta name="Section" content="Africa"/> <meta name="Description" content="Locals in DR Congo express their fears and hopes as the country first democratic presidential elections are concluded, Joseph Winter reports."/>  <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="/web/20101202153903cs_/http://news.bbc.co.uk/css/screen/nol/story.css?v1"/> <style type="text/css" media="all"> @import "/web/20101202153903cs_/http://news.bbc.co.uk/css/screen/shared/styles.css"; @import '/web/20101202153903cs_/http://news.bbc.co.uk/css/screen/shared/toolbar_ukfs.css'; @import '/web/20101202153903cs_/http://news.bbc.co.uk/css/screen/shared/toolbar_ifs.css'; @import "/web/20101202153903cs_/http://news.bbc.co.uk/css/screen/nol/styles.css"; @import "/web/20101202153903cs_/http://news.bbc.co.uk/css/screen/nol/furniture.css"; @import "/web/20101202153903cs_/http://news.bbc.co.uk/css/screen/nol/promo.css"; @import "/web/20101202153903cs_/http://news.bbc.co.uk/css/screen/nol/programmes.css"; @import "/web/20101202153903cs_/http://news.bbc.co.uk/css/screen/nol/ifs.css"; </style> <script type="text/javascript">  </script>  <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903js_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/js/newsi/latest/newsi.js?9" type="text/javascript"></script>   <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903js_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/glow/gloader.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903js_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/js/app/shared/bbc_fmtj.js"></script> <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903js_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/js/app/tracker/tracker.js?v2" language="JavaScript"></script> <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903js_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/js/nol4.js?v2" language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903js_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/js/livestats_v1_1.js" language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903js_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/ukfs_news/js/av.js?v2" language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903js_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radioplayer.js" type="text/javascript"></script> </head> <body marginwidth="0" topmargin="0" leftmargin="0" marginheight="0"> <a name="top" id="top"></a>  <div id="ift-toolbar" class="ift-news"> <div id="ift-wrap"> <div id="ift-accesskeys"><a href="#startcontent" accesskey="2"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" alt="Skip to main content" border="0"/></a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/accesskeys/keys.shtml" accesskey="0"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" alt="Access keys help" border="0"/></a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/a-z/" accesskey="3">  <img alt="" id="livestats" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://stats.bbc.co.uk/o.gif?~RS~s~RS~News~RS~t~RS~HighWeb_Legacy~RS~i~RS~5209428~RS~p~RS~0~RS~a~RS~International~RS~u~RS~/2/hi/africa/5209428.stm~RS~r~RS~http://abitabout.com/Africa~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~03~RS~"/> </a></div> <div id="ift-logo"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/toolbar/i/-/home/i/" accesskey="1"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/toolbar_logo.gif" alt="BBC logo"/></a></div> <div id="ift-tabs"><ul><li><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/toolbar/i/text/-/home/i/">Home</a></div></li><li id="ift-current"><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/toolbar/i/-/news/2/hi/">News</a></div></li><li><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/toolbar/i/-/news/sport2/hi/">Sport</a></div></li><li><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/toolbar/i/-/radio/i/">Radio</a></div></li><li><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/toolbar/i/-/tv/i/">TV</a></div></li><li><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/toolbar/i/-/weather/i/">Weather</a></div></li><li><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/toolbar/i/-/worldservice/languages/">Languages</a></div></li></ul><br class="ift-clear"/></div> <div id="ift-search"> <form action="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl" accept-charset="UTF-8"> <input type="hidden" name="scope" value="all"/> <input type="hidden" name="edition" value="i"/> <input type="text" id="ift-searchbox" name="q" size="10" title="BBC Search" accesskey="4"/> <input type="image" id="ift-searchbutton" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/v3_tb/search_button.gif" name="go" value="go" alt="Search"/> </form> </div><br class="ift-clear"/> </div> </div>  <div id="ift-banner" class="ift-news"> <div id="ift-extra" style="padding:2px 0 0 0;height:1.5em;width:760px;"> <div class="fr"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/text_only.stm" class="extraLink" onclick="goToOtherBandwidth(this);return false;">Low graphics</a><span class="pipe">|</span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/" class="extraLink">Accessibility help</a> </div> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="760"> <tr> <td width="121" valign="top"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/bbc_logo.gif" width="121" height="64" border="0" alt="BBC News"/></a></td> <td width="436" valign="top"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td valign="middle" class="banmain"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_6900000/newsid_6903100?redirect=6903113.stm&news=1&nbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1&bbram=1&asb=1" onclick="javascript:newsi.utils.av.launch({el:this});return false;"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/icons/video_text.gif" align="left" width="57" height="13" alt="watch" border="0" vspace="0" hspace="0"/> One-Minute World News </a><br clear="all"/> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="203" valign="top"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td valign="middle" class="banaddition"> <div> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/news/int/banner/story/services/-/2/hi/help/products_and_services/default.stm"> <img height="50" hspace="0" align="right" vspace="0" border="0" width="50" alt="mobiles" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/icons/services_gen.gif"/> <b>News services</b> <br/>Your news when you want it </a> <br clear="all"/> </div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table>        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="760"> <tr> <td width="121" valign="top"> <div class="lhs"> <div class="lhsb"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/default.stm">News Front Page</a> </div> <div class="o"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/nol/shared/img/nav/v3_map_africa_rb.gif" width="92" height="54" alt="" border="0" usemap="#world_map"> </div> <div class="lhssqs"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/default.stm">Africa</a> </div> <div class="lhsb"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/default.stm">Americas</a> </div> <div class="lhsb"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/default.stm">Asia-Pacific</a> </div> <div class="lhsb"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/default.stm">Europe</a> </div> <div class="lhsb"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/default.stm">Middle East</a> </div> <div class="lhsb"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/default.stm">South Asia</a> </div> <div class="lhsb"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/default.stm">UK</a> </div> <div class="lhsb"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/default.stm">Business</a> </div> <div class="lhsb"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/default.stm">Health</a> </div> <div class="lhsb"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/default.stm">Science & Environment</a> </div> <div class="lhsb"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/default.stm">Technology</a> </div> <div class="lhsb"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/default.stm">Entertainment</a> </div> <div class="lhsb"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/also_in_the_news/default.stm">Also in the news</a> </div> <div class="lhsdl">-----------------</div> <div class="lhsl"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/video_and_audio/default.stm">Video and Audio</a> </div> <div class="lhsdl">-----------------</div> <div class="lhsb"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/default.stm">Programmes</a> </div> <div class="lhsl"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/default.stm">Have Your Say</a> </div> <div class="lhsl"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/default.stm">In Pictures</a> </div> <div class="lhsl"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/country_profiles/default.stm">Country Profiles</a> </div> <div class="lhsl"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/default.stm">Special Reports</a> </div> </div>  <div class="lhsad"><script language="JavaScript">getRssUrl()</script></div> <div class="lhsad"> <div class="lhsnlp">RELATED BBC SITES</div> <ul id="lhsOtherSites"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/default.stm" title="Home of BBC Sport on the internet" class="relatedSitesLink">SPORT</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/i/" title="Weather information from around the world" class="relatedSitesLink">WEATHER</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/onthisday" title="BBC On This Day" class="relatedSitesLink">ON THIS DAY</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/" title="Editors' Blog" class="relatedSitesLink">EDITORS' BLOG</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="lang">Languages</div> <ul id="languages"> <li id="somaliLoz"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/somali" title="BBCSomali.com">Somali</a></li> <li id="frenchLoz"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/french" title="Kifaransa kwa Afrika">French</a></li> <li id="arabicLoz"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/arabic" title="BBCArabic.com">Arabic</a></li> <li id="swahiliLoz"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/swahili" title="BBCSwahili.com">Swahili</a></li> <li id="greatlakesLoz"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/greatlakes/" title="BBCGreatLakes.com">Great Lakes</a></li> <li id="hausaLoz"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/hausa/" title="BBCHausa.com">Hausa</a></li> <li id="portugueseafricaLoz"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/portugueseafrica/" title="BBCPortugueseAfrica.com">Portuguese Africa</a></li> <li id="moreLoz"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/languages/" title="More languages from the BBC">More</a></li> </ul> <img height="1" width="1" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://switch.atdmt.com/action/agencyrep_bbc_usa_africa_home" alt=""/>  <img id="livestats" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://stats.bbc.co.uk/o.gif?~RS~s~RS~News~RS~t~RS~HighWeb_Story~RS~i~RS~5209428~RS~p~RS~45373~RS~a~RS~International~RS~u~RS~/2/hi/africa/5209428.stm~RS~r~RS~http://abitabout.com/Africa~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~03~RS~"/></td> <td width="10"><img height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" width="10" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif"/></td> <td width="629" valign="top"> <table width="629" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td valign="top" width="629"> <a name="startcontent"></a><span class="ds"><span class="lu">Last Updated: </span>Thursday, 16 November 2006, 11:04 GMT</span> <img height="2" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" width="2" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif"/> <div class="mvb"><img height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" width="629" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/dot_629.gif"/></div> <div class="mvtb"><table cellspacing="0" width="416" border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr> <td width="213"><a onclick="popUpPage('https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/email/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5209428.stm','status=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,width=370,height=445','Mailer')" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/email/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5209428.stm" class="epl" target="Mailer"> <img height="11" hspace="3" align="left" vspace="0" border="0" width="17" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/email.gif"/> E-mail this to a friend </a></td> <td width="203"><a onclick="popUpPage('https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5209428.stm','status=no,scrollbars=yes,toolbar=yes,resizable=yes,menubar=yes,width=600,height=445','Printer')" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5209428.stm" class="epl" target="Printer"> <img height="11" hspace="3" align="left" vspace="0" border="0" width="17" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/print.gif"/> Printable version </a></td> </tr></table></div> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="629" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td colspan="3"> <div class="mxb"> <div class="sh"> DR Congo poll crucial for Africa </div> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="416"> <font size="2">   <div class="mvb"> <table border="0" width="416" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td valign="bottom"> <div class="mvb"> <span class="byl"> By Joseph Winter </span> <br/> <span class="byd"> BBC News </span> </div> </td> </tr> </table><img height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" width="416" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/999999.gif"/><br/> </div>  <p>  <table cellspacing="0" align="right" border="0" width="203" cellpadding="0"> <tr><td> <div> <img height="152" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" width="203" alt="President Joseph Kabila and his nearest rival Jean-Pierre Bemba" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41994000/jpg/_41994710_kabila_bemba.jpg"/> <div class="cap">Joseph Kabila faces a run-off with Jean-Pierre Bemba (right)</div> </div> </td></tr> </table>  <p> <b> The election run-off in the Democratic Republic of Congo is supposed to end a period stretching back some 130 years, marked by a succession of brutal and astonishingly corrupt regimes.</b> <p> While DR Congo has been a "black hole at the heart of Africa", as a diplomat once described it, other countries have been sucked into conflict and it has been impossible to forge strong economic links between southern and eastern Africa and the north and west. <p> One plan is to use the flow of the River Congo to supply electricity across the continent, but for that peace and good management are needed. <p> This is why DR Congo now hosts the world's largest peacekeeping force - some 17,000 soldiers - with an annual budget of $1bn. <p> The United Nations hopes that turning round DR Congo will go on to provide a massive boost to other poor African countries. <p>At present this country which is two-thirds the size of Western Europe has just 300 miles of paved roads. <p> "We've suffered a lot, we want things to change," said Harriette Katuku Kishala, a nurse in DR Congo's second city, Lubumbashi. <p> <b>Armed groups</b> <p> However, not all the 56m Congolese are convinced that the elections will change much. <p>  <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="208" align="right" border="0"> <tr> <td width="5"><img height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" width="5" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif"/></td> <td class="sibtbg"> <div class="sih"> DR CONGO RESULTS BY PROVINCE </div> <div class="o"> <img height="200" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" width="203" alt="MAP" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41998000/gif/_41998272_drcongo_election_203.gif"/> </div> <div class="mva"><b>NATIONALLY:</b></div> <div class="mva"><div class="bull">Joseph Kabila: 45% </div> <div class="bull">Jean-Pierre Bemba: 20%</div> <div class="bull">Antoine Gizenga: 13%</div> <div class="bull">Nzanga Mobutu: 5%</div> <div class="bull">Oscar Kashala: 4%</div> <div class="bull">Turnout: 70%</div> </div> <div class="mva">Source: CEI</div> <div class="o"> <img height="1" hspace="0" vspace="2" border="0" width="203" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif"/><br/> </div> <div class="miiib">  <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5235204.stm" class=""><b>War haunts the east</b></a> </div>  </div> </td> </tr> </table>  Erneste, a middle-aged businessman from the capital, Kinshasa, certainly does not have high hopes. <p> "I'm afraid. Whoever loses will resort to violence," he said. <p> Such fears are not without foundation after a five-year war, which officially ended in 2003. This is why some of those UN troops have been deployed to the east of the country, where armed groups still operate. <p> Under the deal which ended the conflict, the various warring factions joined a power-sharing government but they are now fiercely competing against each other in the elections. <p> This is progress but as Erneste says, it remains to be seen how the losers take defeat. <p>The announcement of the first round results sparked three days of clashes between security forces loyal to President Joseph Kabila and his rival Jean-Pierre Bemba. <p>Mr Bemba, a former rebel leader, still has his own personal protection force. <p> <b>Mineral resources</b> <p> Mr Bemba did well in western DR Congo, including the capital, Kinshasa, while President Kabila swept the board in the east, which has been a war zone for almost a decade. <p> People there have seen the brutalities of war at close hand and hail Mr Kabila for his efforts to end the fighting once and for all, while they blame Mr Bemba and other rebel groups for the conflict. <p>  <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="208" align="right" border="0"> <tr> <td width="5"><img height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" width="5" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif"/></td> <td class="sibtbg"> <div> <div class="mva"> <img height="13" border="0" width="24" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif"/> <b>We need to learn how democracy works. Maybe our lives will start to improve after the next elections</b> <img height="13" align="right" vspace="0" border="0" width="23" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif"/><br clear="all"/> </div> </div> <div class="mva"> <div>Arsene</div> </div> <div class="o"> <img height="1" hspace="0" vspace="2" border="0" width="203" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif"/><br/> </div> <div class="miiib">  <div class="arr"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=4761&edition=2&ttl=20061116111423" class=""><b>Have Your Say</b></a> </div>  </div> </td> </tr> </table>  <p> One reason why the fighting has mostly been in the east is because this is where DR Congo's immense mineral resources are located. <p> The country's boasts huge reserves of gold, some 30% of the world's diamond reserves, more than 70% of the valuable coltan mineral - a vital ingredient in mobile phones - and vast deposits of cobalt, copper and bauxite. <p> <p> But these huge riches have only attracted a series of looters - from Belgium's King Leopold, who declared the country his personal possession at the end of the 19th century, to long-time leader, Mobutu Sese Seko, and then a host of militias and armies from up to nine other African countries during the recent war. <p> With the Congolese people choosing their leader for the first time since independence in 1960, the hope is that all these riches will from now on be used for their benefit. <p> But after such an abysmal record of government, whoever wins the elections will not be overburdened by high expectations. <p> <p> "If the next president has $5m, he should keep $1m for himself, give $1m to his ministers and use $3m to build this country," Erneste told me. <p> "But why not use all the money for the country?" I asked innocently. <p> "No, we have to be realistic, that is never going to happen." <p>  <table cellspacing="0" align="right" border="0" width="203" cellpadding="0"> <tr><td> <div> <img height="152" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" width="203" alt="UN armoured vehicles patrol the streets of Kinshasa" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42000000/jpg/_42000936_un203ap.jpg"/> <div class="cap">UN peacekeepers are being backed up by extra EU troops</div> </div> </td></tr> </table>  And Erneste is right - that would indeed be a massive step forward from the days when the then Zaire was given huge amounts of foreign aid, in addition to its huge mineral wealth, and the only results were new mansions in Switzerland and on the French Riviera. <p> Mobutu reportedly did not believe in building roads or railways, in case such infrastructure was used by rebel soldiers to stage a coup. <p> This country, which is two-thirds the size of western Europe, is still only linked by air, as well as the river. <p> Arsene, a young Kinshasa hotel worker, is taking the long view: "I am looking forward to voting for the first time but I know it's the start of a long process," he said. <p> "We need to learn how democracy works. Maybe our lives will start to improve after the next elections."  </font> <br/><br clear="all"/> <div class="mvtb"><table cellspacing="0" width="416" border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr> <td width="213"><a onclick="popUpPage('https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/email/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5209428.stm','status=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,width=370,height=445','Mailer')" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/email/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5209428.stm" class="epl" target="Mailer"> <img height="11" hspace="3" align="left" vspace="0" border="0" width="17" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/email.gif"/> E-mail this to a friend </a></td> <td width="203"><a onclick="popUpPage('https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5209428.stm','status=no,scrollbars=yes,toolbar=yes,resizable=yes,menubar=yes,width=600,height=445','Printer')" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5209428.stm" class="epl" target="Printer"> <img height="11" hspace="3" align="left" vspace="0" border="0" width="17" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/print.gif"/> Printable version </a></td> </tr></table></div> <div class="mvtb"> </div><br/> </td> <td width="10" valign="top"><img height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" width="10" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif"/></td> <td width="203" valign="top"> <div class="puffbox"> <div class="o"> <div class="nlp"> DR CONGO - REBELS ROAM FREE </div> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" width="1" height="5" alt="" border="0" vspace="0" class="" hspace="0"><br/> <div class="nlp"> LATEST NEWS </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8650112.stm">DR Congo is world 'rape capital'</a> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8548794.stm">UN discussing DR Congo withdrawal</a> </div> <div class="nlp"> KEY STORIES </div> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8364327.stm"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/46751000/jpg/_46751971_congo-puff.jpg" align="left" width="66" height="66" alt="File picture of an FDLR rebel" border="0" vspace="3" hspace="0"></a> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" align="left" width="5" height="66" alt="" border="0" vspace="0" hspace="0"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8364327.stm"><b>Rebels Inc</b></a> <br/> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8364327.stm"> Is the feared FDLR being run from Europe? <br clear="all"/> </a> <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/8353133.stm">In pictures: Behind rebel lines</a> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7991479.stm">From rebel-held Congo to beer can</a> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7910081.stm">DR Congo outsources its military</a> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7850357.stm">Congo trial starts road to justice</a> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7846940.stm">Nkunda's spectacular fall</a> </div> <div class="wideav"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/africa_views_on_nkunda0s_arrest/html/1.stm"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/icons/open_icon.gif" align="left" width="49" height="13" alt="open" border="0" vspace="0" hspace="0"> Refugees' reactions </a> <br clear="all"/> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7724088.stm">Children forced to fight</a> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7725344.stm">Impossible task for UN</a> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3075537.stm">Q&A;: DR Congo conflict</a> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3834237.stm">Q&A;: International Criminal Court</a> </div> <div class="nlp"> BACKGROUND </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7554195.stm">Harvest of death</a> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456977/html/nn1page1.stm">DR Congo: Key facts</a> </div> <div class="nlp"> PROFILES </div> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><form method="post" action="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/openurl.pl"><tr><td> <select name="link" class="formatStyle" onchange="if (this.options[selectedIndex].value != '') location.href=this.options[selectedIndex].value"> <option value="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3786883.stm"> Laurent Nkunda </option> <option value="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6209774.stm"> President Kabila </option> <option value="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1076399.stm"> DR Congo </option> </select> <input value="GO" type="image" border="0" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/go_button.gif"> </td></tr></form></table> <div class="nlp"> PHOTO STORIES </div> <div class="wideav"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/africa_working_to_heal_dr_congo0s_wounds/html/1.stm" onclick="window.open('https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/africa_working_to_heal_dr_congo0s_wounds/html/1.stm', '1227206330', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=600,height=530,left=280,top=100'); return false;"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45229000/jpg/_45229219_45225763.jpg" align="left" width="66" height="66" alt="Ngarambe Rukambika" border="0" vspace="0" hspace="0"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" align="left" width="5" height="66" alt="" border="0" vspace="0" hspace="0"> Healing wounds<br/> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/icons/open_icon.gif" width="49" height="13" alt="open" border="0" vspace="5" hspace="0"> </a> <br clear="all"/> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7730357.stm">Cry for peace</a> </div> <div class="nlp"> HAVE YOUR SAY </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=5567&edition=2">Can Congo be saved from crisis?</a> </div> </div> <img height="10" width="1" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif"/><br/></div> <div class="nlp"> RELATED INTERNET LINKS </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.monuc.org/"> UN Mission in Congo </a> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.cei-rdc.cd/"> Electoral Commission (in French) </a> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.mlc-congo.net/index.asp.htm"> MLC (Bemba, in French) </a> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.presidentrdc.cd/"> DR Congo presidency (in French) </a> </div> <div class="di"> The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites </div> <img height="10" width="1" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif"/><br/> <div class="topStoryH"> <a class="lp" href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/default.stm">TOP AFRICA STORIES</a> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/news/10624427">Nigeria state oil firm 'insolvent'</a> <br/> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/news/10617955">France to help Africa veterans</a> <br/> </div> <div class="arr"> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/news/10619325">Churches call for Sudan to split</a> <br/> </div> <script language="JavaScript">getRssUrlStory('/rss/newsonline_world_edition/africa/rss.xml')</script> <img height="10" width="1" alt="" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif"/><br/> <div id="nav1"> <div id="popStory"> <h4><a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/live_stats/html/map.stm" class="lp">MOST POPULAR STORIES NOW</a></h4> </div> </div> <script> function liveStatsTabs(newTab,oldTab) { if (document.getElementById) { document.getElementById(newTab).style.display = "inline"; document.getElementById(oldTab).style.display = "none"; return false; } else if (document.all) { document.all[oldTab].style.display = "none"; document.all[newTab].style.display = "inline"; return false; } else { return true; } } </script> <div id="livestats1451" class="statsStory"> <ul id="tabpopStory"> <li id="livestats2451" class="tabpopHead">MOST SHARED</li> <li id="livestats2452"><a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/live_stats/html/map.stm" onclick="return liveStatsTabs('livestats1450','livestats1451')">MOST READ</a></li> </ul> <ul class="popstoryList"/> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/live_stats/html/map.stm" class="arr">Most popular now, in detail</a> </div> <div id="livestats1450" class="statsStory"> <ul id="tabpopStory"> <li id="livestats2451"><a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/live_stats/html/map.stm" onclick="return liveStatsTabs('livestats1451','livestats1450')">MOST SHARED</a></li> <li id="livestats2452" class="tabpopHead">MOST READ</li> </ul> <ul class="popstoryList"> <li class="mp1"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11901750">Israel hit by deadly forest fire</a> </li> <li class="mp2"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11895107">Transport chaos in snowy Europe</a> </li> <li class="mp3"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11898323">Wikileaks founder appeal rejected</a> </li> <li class="mp4"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-11901584">Phone abuse man murdered baby boy</a> </li> <li class="mp5"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11894853">Snow brings further travel misery</a> </li> <li class="mp6"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11899092">Web bug reveals browsing history</a> </li> <li class="mp7"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11895106">Qantas takes legal action on A380</a> </li> <li class="mp8"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11897482">New Zealand wins pavlova battle</a> </li> <li class="mp9"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-11900709">Aid worker killed by US grenade</a> </li> <li class="mp10"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-11900112">Day in pictures: 2 December 2010</a> </li> </ul> <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/live_stats/html/map.stm" class="arr">Most popular now, in detail</a> </div> <div class="clear"></div> <br/> <script> liveStatsTabs('livestats1450','livestats1451'); </script> </td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="3"> <div class="o"> <table cellspacing="0" border="0" cellpadding="0" width="466"> <tr> <td valign="top" class="gpromo" width="10"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" width="10" height="1" alt="" border="0" vspace="0" hspace="0"></td><td valign="top" width="446"> <div class="promotopbg"> <div class="nlp"> FEATURES, VIEWS, ANALYSIS </div> </div> <table cellspacing="0" border="0" cellpadding="0" width="446"> <tr> <td valign="top" width="126"> <div class="promobottombg"> <div class="mvb"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11808853"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/50098000/jpg/_50098133_smlesmael2.jpg" align="" width="126" height="70" alt="Esmael Mangudadatu, Governor of Maguindanao province, Philippines, pictured in November 2010" border="0" vspace="0" hspace="0"></a> <a class="shl" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11808853">Praying for revenge</a> <br/> </div> <div class="o"> Widowed governor in Philippines seeks curse </div> </div> </td><td valign="top" class="gpromo" width="34"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" width="34" height="1" alt="" border="0" vspace="0" hspace="0"></td><td valign="top" width="126"> <div class="promobottombg"> <div class="mvb"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11797173"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/50102000/jpg/_50102146_50102140.jpg" align="" width="126" height="70" alt="A hand holding a plastic card" border="0" vspace="0" hspace="0"></a> <a class="shl" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11797173">Plastic fantastic</a> <br/> </div> <div class="o"> The loyalty reward programme for Facebook fans </div> </div> </td><td valign="top" class="gpromo" width="34"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" width="34" height="1" alt="" border="0" vspace="0" hspace="0"></td><td valign="top" width="126"> <div class="promobottombg"> <div class="mvb"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11816590"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/50105000/jpg/_50105371_hi010409484-1.jpg" align="" width="126" height="70" alt="Sarah Palin" border="0" vspace="0" hspace="0"></a> <a class="shl" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11816590">Path to the presidency</a> <br/> </div> <div class="o"> Could Sarah Palin win the Republican nomination? </div> </div> </td> </tr> </table> </td><td valign="top" class="gpromo" width="10"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" width="10" height="1" alt="" border="0" vspace="0" hspace="0"></td> </tr> </table> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" width="466" height="20" alt="" border="0">  <script language="JavaScript">  </script> <noscript> <div class="mostpopular"><span class="now"><a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/live_stats/html/map.stm">Most Popular Now</a></span><p class="section"><a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/live_stats/html/map.stm" class="now">Most Popular Now</a> | <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/live_stats/html/map.stm?lsf">138,129 people are reading stories on the site right now.</a>";</p><div class="clear"></div></div> </noscript>   <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/shared/img/ffffff.gif" width="466" height="20" alt="" border="0"><br/> </div> </td></tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table>  <div class="serviceStripStory2"> <h4><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/products_and_services/default.stm" class="lp">PRODUCTS & SERVICES</a></h4> <ul> <li class="emailnews"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/go/news/int/story/services/-/email/news">E-mail news</a></li> <li class="mobiles"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/news/int/story/services/-/1/hi/help/6358397.stm">Mobiles</a></li> <li class="alerts"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/news/int/story/services/-/1/hi/help/4735697.stm">Alerts</a></li> <li class="newsfeeds"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/news/int/story/services/-/1/hi/help/3223484.stm">News feeds</a></li> <li class="podcast"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbcworldservice.com/podcasts">Podcasts</a></li> </ul> <div class="clear"></div> </div> <div id="footer1"> <ul id="serviceBar"> <li class="copyright2"><div class="logo"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/3281849.stm">BBC Copyright Notice</a></div><div class="copyrightdate">MMX</div></li> <script language="JavaScript">  </script> <noscript> <li class="footermostpop"><a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/live_stats/html/map.stm">Most Popular Now</a> | <a href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/live_stats/html/map.stm?lsf">3,400 pages were read in the last minute.</a>";</li> </noscript> <li class="footertotop"><a href="#top">Back to top ^^</a></li> </ul> <ul id="footList"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/default.stm">Help</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy/">Privacy and cookies policy</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/3281815.stm">News sources</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/">About the BBC</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/feedback/default.stm">Contact us</a></li> </ul> </div> <map name="world_map" id="world_map"> <area alt="Americas" coords="0,0,34,53" href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/default.stm"/> <area alt="Africa" shape="poly" coords="37,25,37,51,52,51,52,33,48,33,48,31,40,31" href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/default.stm"/> <area alt="Europe" shape="poly" coords="35,2,66,2,66,12,56,12,56,20,37,20" href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/default.stm"/> <area alt="Middle East" shape="poly" coords="44,24,57,24,58,50,55,50,55,31,52,28,44,28" href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/default.stm"/> <area alt="South Asia" coords="60,24,67,49" href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/default.stm"/> <area alt="Asia Pacific" shape="poly" coords="71,2,89,3,88,51,69,51,69,20,62,20,62,16,71,16" href="/web/20101202153903/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/default.stm"/> </map> <script language="JavaScript">  </script>    <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">  </script> <noscript> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://secure-uk.imrworldwide.com/cgi-bin/m?ci=bbc&cg=0" alt=""/> </noscript>  <br/> <div id="bbccomWebBug" class="bbccomWebBug"></div> <script type="text/javascript"> bbcdotcom.stats = { "adEnabled" : "(none)", "contentType" : "HTML", "audience" : "us" }; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903js_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/js/app/bbccom/19_3/vs.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903js_/http://js.revsci.net/gateway/gw.js?csid=J08781"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> DM_tag(); </script>  <script type="text/javascript"> _qoptions={ qacct:"p-ccrmZLtMqYB8w" }; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903js_/http://edge.quantserve.com/quant.js"></script> <noscript> <div> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-ccrmZLtMqYB8w.gif" style="display: none;" height="1" width="1" alt="Quantcast"/> </div> </noscript>   <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903js_/http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/js/app/bbccom/19_33/s_code.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript"></script><noscript><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/http://www.omniture.com/" title="Web Analytics"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://bbc.112.2o7.net/b/ss/bbcwglobalprod/1/H.21--NS/0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/></a></div></noscript>   <script type="text/javascript"> document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903/https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js' %3E%3C/script%3E"));</script> <script type="text/javascript"> COMSCORE.beacon({ c1:2, c2:"6035051", c3:"", c4:"news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5209428.stm", c5:"", c6:"", c15:"" }); </script> <noscript> <div> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20101202153903im_/http://b.scorecardresearch.com/b?c1=2&c2=6035051&c3=&c4=news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5209428.stm&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1" style="display:none" width="0" height="0" alt=""/> </div> </noscript>  <br/> </body> </html>

CINXE.COM

BBC NEWS | Africa | DR Congo poll crucial for Africa