What ‘Dr Love’ says about DR Congo

"it's referred to as dr love", says goalé lokulutu. Doc-teur love, to be specific - within the french way. It's a phone app to assist people in the democratic republic of congo locate solutions to awkward questions about sex.

Dr lokulutu is proud of his advent: it is a congolese approach to a congolese trouble. Speakme approximately sex, he tells me in his deep, gravelly, barry white voice, is often taboo.

The dr love app is near his heart. Earlier than he certified as a physician he'd got his then female friend pregnant. He'd heard that if a lady took two anti-malaria capsules earlier than intercourse they might act as a contraceptive.

His son, now 21, is a fabricated from this incorrect facts. So he is out to make certain others get it right.

However dr lokulutu, like many congolese people, has a problem. He needs buyers. While protests loom, the authorities switches off the internet, so he and his team of workers are not able to work.

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"on this context, nobody will provide you with cash. It's impossible to plot due to the fact nobody is aware of what's going to occur tomorrow," he says.

The protests stem from president joseph kabila's reluctance to go away strength. His 2nd mandate ended more than a yr ago and the charter says he cannot have a 3rd. However he is nonetheless there.He says he needs every other year as president, in order to finish a census and prepare properly for elections.

The opposition says he had 15 years to do this earlier than his 2nd mandate ran out. They need to listen him say out loud that he's going to step down.

In the meantime - like dr lokulutu's business plans - this country is on hold. And there may be so much catching as much as do.

Buried treasure
One journey we made - thru forests inside the east - took an entire backbone-numbing day. On an awesome road it would have taken an hour.

You can suit luxembourg into this u . S . A . 900 instances. But luxembourg has two times as many kilometres of tarmac.Faculties and hospitals - in which they exist at all - urgently need funding.

And dr congo has the buried treasure to pay for it.

It has huge reserves of copper and diamonds and is the world's essential manufacturer of cobalt - the mineral had to make the batteries for the electrical cars we're rushing to buy.

Alternatively, the congolese are looking in their rear-view replicate. And what they see drawing near is a return to instability and struggle.

The final warfare ended barely 15 years in the past, and for many, memories of it are nevertheless fresh.

Japanese dr congo is a -hour flight from the capital, kinshasa.

Authorities control there's weak. Militias nevertheless keep sway, and a map by a set tracking them looks like patchwork of greater than 120 zones.

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Dr congo: what you want to recognize
Civil war broke out inside the democratic republic of congo, then zaire, in 1997
That year, laurent kabila took power earlier than being assassinated in 2001
He changed into succeeded by his son, joseph
The conflict ended in 2003, with six million people lifeless
After serving two phrases, joseph kabila was because of go away workplace in 2016 but stays in strength
Study greater: dr congo us of a profile

Dr congo: too rich for its own right

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The united nations is a major player right here. With church buildings and charities, it tries to fill the gaps left through an overstretched and suffering government.

Widespread derrick mgwebi heads the un peacekeeping force. It's the largest within the global but as the general knows, there are limits to what it could gain.

Addressing the kingdom on radio okapi, a station additionally funded by using the un, he said that with out a democratic transition, with out an attempt to quit the political impasse, there'll usually be conflicts.

After which there are folks who are fleeing the violence - the internally displaced humans, or idps.

Simply last year by myself violence in the critical kasai vicinity pressured some other million humans into inner exile.

Diy training
But this is not the message i need to depart you with.

As it's by no means the message i leave congo with.

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From our personal correspondent has perception and analysis from bbc newshounds, correspondents and writers from round the sector
Listen on iplayer, get the podcast or concentrate on the bbc international carrier - or on radio 4 on saturdays at eleven:30 and thursdays at eleven:00 bst
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Permit me tell you about vumi. She lives close to uvira, a city inside the east recently attacked by using a militia.

She's 17, and can not manage to pay for to head to high school. Others women in her city fear they'll be attacked on their way to training. They decide on no longer to wear uniform.

So they're mastering by radio. In village halls they take a seat - quiet and attentive. The radio imposes field. Arrive past due - or speak - and you will miss the lesson.Vumi once noticed docs heal her mother, so now she wants to end up a physician. She desires to seize up on the years she's misplaced to the violence round her.

The usa is probably on hold, however she's in a hurry.

So for goalé, for dr love, for vumi, you have to hope the politicians can placed peace first.

You need to hope that they are able to find a way to make the democratic republic of congo into a democratic republic.