Congo - Congo: The Entire Country

Although, on paper, there are several flights each week between Kinshasa and European cities, schedules are often disrupted by security problems in Kinshasa or when the soldiers in neighboring Brazzaville start shooting it up. There have been instances of bullets and shell fragments falling on Kinshasa from fighting in Brazzaville. Civil disturbances, including looting and the possibility of physical harm, can occur without warning in all urban areas of Congo. At press time, the eastern cities of Goma and Kisangani were in the hands of rebels fighting President Laurent Kabila's government. Congolese security personnel are suspicious of foreigners (French nationals are tres outre) and sometimes stop travelers on the street for proof of immigration status or can charge you with mythical infractions. Both Americans and Britons have been arrested as spies by Kabila. Border control personnel scrutinize passports, visas and vaccination certificates for any possible irregularity and sometimes seek bribes to perform their official functions. Travelers are urged to be cautious and polite if confronted with these situations.