Congo - Crime in the Congo

In a country where there is little law, where underpaid police and soldiers are often criminals, you have to park your moral indignation when visiting. Morality, legality and right-or-wrong issues have to be sidelined in the interest of survival. Customs officials have an unwritten law of extracting about US$100 from all Western travelers who enter Congo. All border officials will hit you up for some type of cadeau, or gift. Once inside, you may wish you were being jacked up by a uniformed border guard rather than the street criminals who will continually hit on you. There is plenty of armed street crime, especially in Kinshasa, where violent crime is commonplace. Vehicle thefts, including hijackings at gunpoint, are on the rise.

Congo is quickly reverting to an agrarian, or barter, economy. Congo has also become a predatory environment where the use of deadly weapons has led to the deaths or serious injury of several expatriate citizens. As the economy continues to collapse, crimes such as armed robbery, vehicle theft and house break-ins increase accordingly, with the foreign community and travelers expected to become more frequent targets. If you look to the police for help, you may find yourself being taken for even more.