5. Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of The Congo (DRC)
The Congo was devastated by a 1998 war dubbed the “African World War” involving nine nations, 20 armed groups and the deaths of 5.4 million since then, and despite signing peace accords it is still a terrifying hotbed of rape and sexual violence. Now commonly referred to as the DRC or DR Congo, it is the largest country in central Africa and the second largest in the continent. The capital city of Kinshasa is especially dangerous because it is run by groups posing as law enforcement agents who haunt the streets at night looking for victims, and even the street children are becoming increasingly aggressive. Some gangs use girls to lure people into traps; others promise cut-price gold and diamonds to rob foreigners, including in daylight, reported CNBC.com. Even those in power are not beyond corruption and in the past year, several U.S. citizens were illegally detained by government forces.
The Congo was devastated by a 1998 war dubbed the “African World War” involving nine nations, 20 armed groups and the deaths of 5.4 million since then, and despite signing peace accords it is still a terrifying hotbed of rape and sexual violence. Now commonly referred to as the DRC or DR Congo, it is the largest country in central Africa and the second largest in the continent. The capital city of Kinshasa is especially dangerous because it is run by groups posing as law enforcement agents who haunt the streets at night looking for victims, and even the street children are becoming increasingly aggressive. Some gangs use girls to lure people into traps; others promise cut-price gold and diamonds to rob foreigners, including in daylight, reported CNBC.com. Even those in power are not beyond corruption and in the past year, several U.S. citizens were illegally detained by government forces.
