Pray for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

In 1960 the DRC achieved independence from Belgium. A series of violent secessionist movements followed independence. Joseph Kabila gained power in 2001 and served as President until 2019 amid conflicts in the eastern DRC and human rights abuses including torture, forced disappearances, and arbitrary imprisonment. In 2019 Félix Tshisekedi succeeded Kabila in the first peaceful transition of power since independence. 231 languages are spoken in the DRC. French is the official language. The DRC is one of the world's richest countries in natural resources, yet it is ranked as the fourth poorest country in the world. Since 1996, conflict in eastern DRC has resulted in six million deaths, more than from any conflict since World War II. Violent national elections in December 2023 sparked severe clashes between the military and insurgents in eastern DRC. Over one hundred armed groups are active in the region. Continuing political violence has led to national political disorder and insecurity. In March 2024, the UN reported that there were 7.2 million internally displaced people in DRC. (Global Conflict Tracker).

Christians who live in the eastern part of the DRC are at incredible risk. They are vulnerable to murder, abduction and sexual violence.  Church leaders who speak out against the violence are at risk of being targeted. Many believers are among the more than 7 million people who are displaced in the DRC due to the violence. (From Open Doors and Global Conflict Tracker.)

RiverLakes Church has partnered with International Christian Ministries (ICM) in Africa for over three decades. ICM in the DRC provides sound Biblical theological training for pastors and church leaders. Dr. Leopold Yambayamba serves as the National Director of ICM in the DRC.