User:Cracke/Sandbox2
Republic of the Ikelemba | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
| Motto: "Unité, Égalité, Liberté" (French) (English: "Unity, Equality, Liberty") | |
| File:Location of Ikelemba.png The Ikelemba within the African Union | |
| Capital and largest city | Ndoki |
| Official languages | French Lingala |
| Ethnic groups | Baya • Kota • Kwele • M'Bochi • Mbaka • Mongo • Sangha |
| Religion (2015) |
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| Demonym(s) | Ikelemban |
| Government | Unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic |
| François Kimpembe | |
| Rémi Emane | |
| Gaëtan Yikoshu | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Senate | |
| Chamber of Deputies | |
| Independence | |
• Republic established | 2 December 1958 |
• from France | 15 August 1960 |
| Area | |
• | 299,742 km2 (115,731 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 0% |
| Population | |
• 2020 estimate | 4,102,832 |
• 2004 census | 3,281,299 |
• Density | 10.9/km2 (28.2/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2020 estimate |
• Total | $3.786 billion |
• Per capita | $923 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2020 estimate |
• Total | $1.370 billion |
• Per capita | $334 |
| Gini (2020) | 58.4 high |
| HDI (2021) |  0.449low |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (WAT) |
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +233 |
The Republic of the Ikelemba (French: République de l'Ikélemba, Lingala: Republíki ya Ikélemba) also known as Congo-Françoisville and Congo-Ndoki or simply as Ikelemba or the Ikelemba, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by the Central African Republic to the north, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the east and south, the Republic of the Congo to the south-west and Cameroon to the west. It has an area of nearly 300,000 square kilometers (115,830 sq mi) and it has an estimated population of 4,102,832 people. It is divided into 6 districts including the capital and largest city Ndoki. The official language of the country is French.
The area was inhabited by numerous Bantu tribes along the Ikelemba river and Congo river. Ikelemba was colonised by France who settled the area as the colony of the French Ikelemba which was incorporated into French Equatorial Africa. The Republic of Congo-Françoisville was declared on 2 December 1958 and gained independence from France on 15 August 1960. After the 1963 elections resulted in violence and the ruling party being ousted from power, a coup d'état installed Laurent Shifu as the Military dictator of Democratic People's Republic of Congo-Françoisville (DPRCF), a Marxist-Leninist state.
A French-backed coup d'état removed Shifu from office and a series of Military-dictators ruled Congo-Françoisville which was renamed to the Republic of the Ikelemba in 1983. Student protests and a worsening economic situation led to the toppling of the government and the first multi-party elections which were won by François Kimpembe. Kimpembe's rule became increasingly Authoritarian and the 2004 election was deemed to have been rigged by Kimpembe and the ruling party by international observers. Kimpembe was removed as President for several weeks after the 2011 Ikelemban revolution but was reinstalled in a military coup d'état. The Ikelemban civil war erupted shortly afterwards, the conflict has killed over 100,000 people and has led to Human Rights abuses by pro-government and pro-opposition forces such as extrajudicial executions, the use of child soldiers, forced disappearances and imprisonment without trial.
The Republic of the Ikelemba is a member of the African Union, the United Nations, the Economic Community of Central African States, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Ikelemba is also one of the poorest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita and has one of the highest income inequality rates in the world. It is the 183rd lowest country in the world in terms of it's Human Development Index. Despite this Ikelemba is rich in natural resources such as Gold and lumber but due to the civil war and sanctions placed on members of the government these resources have not been exploited.
Etymology
The Republic of the Ikelemba is named after the Ikelemba river which runs through the south of the country. The name is derived from the Ekelemba tribe that resided on the south bank of the river in the present day Republic of the Congo.
Before the country was renamed in 1983 the country was known as Congo-Françoisville after the capital city of Congo-Françoisville, now called Ndoki. Congo-Françoisville is still sometimes used to refer to the country along with Congo-Ndoki which was used briefly by the French government to refer to the country. Françoisville was named after François Dutoit who led an expedition into what is now Ikelemba in the 18th century to convert the local population to Christianity.
History
Early history
French colonial history
- French Ikelemba
- Brutal work conditions in French projects
- Kongo-Wara conflict
Shortly after the Fall of France, pro-de Gaulle army officers took control of Françoisville in a bloodless coup replacing the pro-Vichy administrators and soon after reaffirmed their loyalty to Charles de Gaulle against Vichy France. French Ikelemba avoided conflict during the war.
Following the establishment of the Fifth Republic, the AEF was dissolved and French Ikelemba became an autonomous colony within the French Community. The Republic of Congo-Françoisville was established on 2 December 1958 and was led by Alexis Ngazu from the Party of Congolese Labour and Independence (PTIC). Ngazu's government's priority was independence but inter-ethnic rioting broke out in Françoisville which had to be put down by the French Army to prevent a civil war. Ngazu organised the independence of Congo-Françoisville which was achieved on 15 August 1960. Despite independence Ngazu attempted to remain close to France politically which he saw as a guarantee of his rule against the opposition.
Republic of Congo-Françoisville (1960-1963)
Following independence, Ngazu declared himself as both Prime Minister and President of Congo-Françoisville, a move that was decried by opposition parties as illegal under the constitution which Ngazu had helped draft. In January 1961, representatives from the opposition parties introduced a motion to remove Ngazu from office. The PTIC which held a majority in Parliament did not have a coherant response to the challenge and a majority of Representatives in the lower house voted to dismiss Ngazu as Prime Minister and begin impeachment proceedings against his role as President.
Before this could happen Ngazu called the army to the parliament building and soldiers entered the legislative chamber during the vote on impeachment proceedings. The vote failed and one MP who voted in favour was arrested and dragged out of the chamber. Ngazu caved to pressure and instead appointed the Ambassador to the United States, Patrick Kwi to be Prime Minister. Kwi pressured Parliament to enact new economic reforms to attract investors to help the national economy and between 1961 and 1962 the economy grew at a rapid pace.
Disagreements between Kwi and Ngazu over the state's response to the ongoing Congo Crisis led to Kwi resigning as Prime Minister and founding the Union for Development and Independence (UDI) in 1963 shortly before the 1963 elections. Kwi stood against Ngazu in the Presidential election and won with barely 3000 more votes than Ngazu in the second round of voting. Ngazu called the vote rigged and appealed for France to help keep him in power. The French response was muted with the French Ambassador to Congo-Françoisville saying: "France respects the decision of the people of Congo-Françoisville and will work with whoever forms the next government.
Supporters of Ngazu began rioting in Françoisville weeks before election day and caused property damage to shops owned by pro-Kwi voters. On inauguration day Ngazu did not attend and rioters blocked Kwi's car for two hours to try and prevent the inauguration from occurring. The riots continued after Kwi was inaugurated. On 17 September Kwi called the army in to put down the riots, the following crackdown killed 18 demonstrators and Kwi was largely blamed for the bloodshed. Whilst Kwi was addressing the United Nations General Assembly when soldiers led by Laurent Shifu took over Françoisville and declared martial law. Kwi was informed of the coup d'état minutes after he finished his speech.
Shifu declared himself President on 2 October 1963 before Kwi could return to Françoisville. Both Kwi and Ngazu were sent into exile in France where both claimed to be the legitimate President of Congo-Françoisville.
DPRCF and military rule (1963-1982)
The government of Laurent Shifu was strongly backed by the USSR because of Shifu's Marxist-Leninist beliefs and ties with the Communist Party of Congo-Françoisville. Shifu visited the USSR for state visits 3 times during his Presidency. Immediately following the coup d'état Shifu declared the establishment of a Communist state and the creation of the Democratic People's Republic of Congo-Françoisville (DPRCF). The DPRCF was the first communist nation in Africa. Opposition parties were banned and the PTIC became the sole legal party in the DPRCF.
Shifu survived an assassination attempt after the plane he was travelling on was bombed after taking off from Françoisville Airport. Shifu personally led the investigation and determined that a faction of the military backed by the United States and France had attempted to kill him, he proceeded to purge the Army and government of people he deemed to be unreliable including many who had experience from working under President Ngazu. The purge devastated the DPRCF's economy and led to a major recession which thrust many into extreme poverty and near starvation. Shifu resisted accepting foreign aid from France when it was offered and denied any issues within the DPRCF. Under Shifu's rule it's estimated by the UN that over 100,000 people died from starvation or disease.
Shifu began relying more and more on the military and security services to prop up his government which had grown even more authoritarian over the years. Political repression grew worse and Shifu attempted to purge the military in 1975 which led to a French-backed coup d'état. Shifu fled the capital and hid in the jungle before he was captured and shot at an unknown location north of Françoisville. Shifu was succeeded as President by his Prime Minister, Denis Leclère-Mvuezolo.
Denis Leclère-Mvuezolo's Presidency led to the DPRCF abandoning communism but retaining the name, flag of the old state and the one-party rule of the PTIC. Denis Leclère-Mvuezolo however was assassinated and his brother, Charles Leclère-Mvuezolo was appointed as President in his place. Charles' Presidency saw increased corruption and hyperinflation within the DPRCF. He spent 5% of the annual 1980 budget on a private villa in the rainforest for his family which he did not live in after it was constructed. He also denied the existence of HIV in Congo-Françoisville which caused the spread of the virus to become the worst in central Africa. He was removed from office and replaced by Minster of Finance and Development Edouard Tombere in 1982.
Ikelemba and Tombere (1982-1999)
Tombere was keen to appeal more to the west, specifically France and the United States. To try and difference himself from past leaders he announced a new constitution would be drafted and the country would be renamed to Ikelemba. Françoisville was also renamed to Ndoki. The new constitution also allowed for Presidential elections to be held which had not had an election since 1963. The election was deemed unfair by international observers who claimed that ballot stuffing and intimidation by the PTIC and Tombere loyalists had been present during the campaign.
Tombere became the first President of Ikelemba to visit the United States since Alexis Ngazu. He bonded with President Ronald Reagan during his first state visit to America, after the state visit Ikelemba received increasing amounts of US foreign aid. Tombere also began a charm offensive in Europe to promote Tourism and investment in Ikelemba. Infrastructure across Ndoki and selected other areas was upgraded and more money was invested in Healthcare and Education.
The first signs of a famine in Ikelemba were revealed in 1988 by a French documentary team. Tombere denied a famine and attempted to have the evidence destroyed but it was smuggled into France before it could be destroyed. The famine reached it's peak in 1989, around 90,000 people or 3% of the total Ikelemban population starved to death before the famine was brought under control. The famine severely damaged Tombere's image and he was characterised as uncaring within Ikelemba and in the west.
Challenges against Tombere's rule began to emerge when in 1992 he was challeged to the Presidency in that year's election by Éric Nouken. He was nearly unseated by a coalition of opposition forces who claimed that the vote had been rigged against them. Tombere was implicated in Nouken's kidnapping and death the next year when he was found beaten to death in the Ikelemba river. Tombere reportedly watched Nouken's beating in the Presidential Palace before he was thrown into the river.
All opposition candidates were banned from running in the 1996 Ikelemban general election where Tombere won 100% of the vote according to the election committee. Student demonstrations against the election result were put down with force by the Ikelemban army resulting in several deaths. As a result French and American foreign aid was withdrawn from the country until Tombere resigned and a peaceful transition to Democracy had been agreed on.
In 1998 an Ebola outbreak which killed 37 people sparked the beginning of the 1998 Ikelemban revolution. Tombere ordered troops to put down the protests but many joined the protesters. Tombere left the country secretly with millions from the national treasury after resigning. Tombere's resignation triggered a political crisis as there was no clear successor to him, eventually a council of civilians led by François Kimpembe was put in charge and Kimpembe became acting President.
Kimpembe's government (1999-)
- Rise of Kimpembe
- 2000 general election
- Populist economic policies
- Growing authoritarianism
- Arrest of opposition leaders
- 2011 Revolution
- Kimpembe's return
- Civil war
Geography
- Geography description
Terrain
- Rainforest
Wildlife
- Wildlife species
Climate
- Climate
Districts and Prefectures
- Districts
- District map
Politics and Government
- Brief explanation on politics
- Change of power
Executive branch
- President
- Prime Minister
Legislative branch
- Parliament
- Senate
- House of Representatives
Judicial branch
- French influence
- Since 2003, effective legal wing of the ruling party
Foreign relations
- Relations with other African states/Conflict with CAR
- Relationship with France
Foreign Aid and UN intervention
- Foreign Aid
- Controversies (Blocking foreign aid to opposition forces)
- UN Intervention force
Military
- Brief description of the Armed Forces
- Role in politics
Human rights
- Mob violence
- FGM
- Human rights abuses by the government and opposition
- Freedom of speech
- Child labour
Demographics
- Population
- Largest cities/towns
Religion
- Christianity
Language
- Main languages
- Minor languages
Ethnic groups
- Native ethnic groups
- Very small french settler communities
Education
- Education system
- Access to education
Healthcare
- Malaria
- Lack of access to healthcare
- Civil war impact
HIV
- Percentage of HIV positive citizens
- Fight against HIV
Economy
- Natural resources
- Foreign aid
- CFA Franc
- Chinese investment
Infrastructure
Transportation
- Road networks
- Ferries
- Bridge to Bangui
- Airport/State airline
- Rail
Energy
- Main source of electricity
- Other sources
Communications
- Mobile carrier
- Internet access
Culture
- Notable Ikelemban authors
- Cuisine
Media
- State media
- Newspapers
- Opposition media
Music
- Traditional music
- Modern music
Sports
- Sports
Festivals and Holidays
- List of holidays