Postcards From Hell: 2/60

This series is a look at Foreign Policy Magazine's "Postcards From Hell, 2012: What does living in a failed state look like? A tour through the world’s 60 most fragile countries." You can read the full photo essay here. DPoH commentary on photos provided by Jacqueline, unless otherwise noted.

Our next postcard comes to us from one of my personal favorite states-to-hate: The Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Sven is bleeding from the head! x

Before I put on my serious face, I'd like to share one of my favorite quotes from Yes, Prime Minister:

Sir Humphrey: East Yemen, isn't that a democracy?
Foreign Office Official: Its full name is the Peoples' Democratic Republic of East Yemen.
Sir Humphrey: Ah I see, so it's a communist dictatorship.

Apart from being the rape capital of the world, a target range for Ugandan mercenaries, and such a generally unpleasant place that their own Olympian athletes may have fled into the streets of London, the DRC just doesn't really get the whole "democratic" part of their name. Even though around 75% of Congolese self-identify as part of the human rights party The Union For Democracy and Social Progress (warning: site is in French), they lost the 2011 election by a landslide. Nonviolent protests regarding election fraud were met with violence from the incumbent party.

Oh yeah, THIS MAN IS BLEEDING FROM HIS FUCKING HEAD. Just thought you all should know that. Every election is a civil war in the Democratic People's Republic of the Congo--and it's just getting worse.