KINSHASA : The Democratic Republic of Congo this week celebrates 50 years since it cast off Belgian rule but the vast mineral-rich nation, blighted by decades of war, corruption and poverty, has yet to fulfil the hopes of independence.

Sung for the first time on June 30, 1960, as the central African nation broke free from 80 years of colonial rule, the Congolese anthem urged people to "rise up" and "build, in peace, a country more beautiful than before".

Half a century on, those hopes have been cruelly dashed.

For much of its post-colonial history, the DR Congo was bled dry by the kleptocratic regime of Joseph Mobutu Sese Seko, who came to power in a 1965 coup and ruled for 32 years.

Today, though endowed with vast reserves of gold, copper, cobalt and diamonds, it is one of the world`s poorest nations, hobbled by a bloody eight-year war, from 1996 to 2003, that cost some three million lives.

Four years after the democratic election of President Joseph Kabila brought some stability to the vast nation, two thirds of its 60 million inhabitants still scrape by on 1.25 dollars per day.

Congolese bishops, in a joint text to mark the independence anniversary, wrote that the "dream of a beautiful Congo" had been "destroyed".

"As far as we are concerned the DRC has moved backwards more than forwards," they said.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, King Albert II of Belgium, and President Jacob Zuma of the continent`s powerhouse South Africa are among the leaders gathering for the anniversary in Kinshasa on Wednesday.

Pretoria has called the celebrations "a landmark for all Africa," but has also voiced concerns about Kabila`s failure to deal with instability in the east, where some 20,000 UN troops are deployed, the world`s largest and most expensive peacekeeping operation.

The United Nations this month agreed to pull out 2,000 troops but Kinshasa has been pushing for the entire force to leave by 2011, even though UN officials say armed groups are expanding, recruiting of child soldiers and stepping up violence, especially sexual violence, against civilians.

Government spokesman Lambert Mende admitted "there are a great many problems", but he insisted that "these problems come from those who subjected us to slavery, to colonialisation, to bad government after independence."

"It is easy to throw stones at those who inherited the situation, when the problem dates from before."

But President Kabila is fighting off tough criticism of his own record on governance, human rights, the economy.

In April the International Crisis Group (ICG) said Kabila had not kept his promises and accused him of "showing a clear authoritarian trend".

"Power is being centralised at the presidential office, checks and balances barely exist, and civil liberties are regularly undermined," it said.

The outlook is not much brighter on the economic front, despite a pledge by creditor nations to cancel a large part of the DRC`s debt, estimated at 11 billion dollars.

A five-point development programme focused on infrastructure, health and education, energy, jobs and housing has had little impact on the ground.

For political analyst Alphonse-Marie Luzayamo, the plan "is turning out to be little more than a slogan".

"I strongly doubt it will be carried out," he said.

And the DR Congo`s spotted record on human rights was underlined by the murder last month of rights activist Floribert Chebeya, who was found dead the morning after heading to a meeting with the national police chief.

The police chief has been suspended and a dozen officers arrested in a military inquiry into the death, which drew criticism from the United States and European Union.

Rights groups in Belgium have criticised the king`s visit in the light of Chebeya`s killing.

The Congolese ambassador to Brussels dismissed this as "an insult", saying: "In Africa, when you are invited to a party, you should feel honoured."

King Albert`s trip is the first by a Belgian royal in 25 years, and confirms a warming of ties after a Belgian minister`s remarks about corruption in the former Zaire caused relations to be broken off last year.

The trip was also overshadowed when the sons of Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba said this month they would seek war crimes charges against 12 Belgians they suspect of involvement in their father`s assassination in 1961.

The four-day visit by the king, joined by Prime Minister Yves Leterme, has been kept deliberately low-key to minimise the risk of a diplomatic upset, with neither scheduled to speak in public.

BDST 0855 HRS, June 29, 2010
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