Congo in its current state.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1589559.php/UN-reviews-its-mission-s-mandate-in-Congo-after-mass-rapes
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/world/africa/23congo.html

The first article that I found discussed the current efforts of the UN to help the current "rape spree" in the Congo.  In July 2010, over 300 women in eastern Congo were raped.  The article highlights that the UN finds it necessary to "review its policies and operations in the aftermath of recent fighting and the rape of unprotected civilians" because they truly believe that the current conditions in the Congo present a "clear tragedy".  The UN is trying to find ways to protect the Congolese because of the current situation of the country.  The UN "urges the international community to engage with Congolese society 'on cultural and political issues that contribute to this horrific pattern of abuse'".  After reading this article, it is quite obvious that the state of the Congo is horrible and has, without a doubt, changed for the worse. For me, it is interesting to find out exactly what the Congolese are doing to help their situation and how exactly the UN plans of helping the Congolese.

The second article says that "the rate at which people are dying in the country remains virtually unchanged" after the Congo's war.  It discusses that the mortality rate is increasing because of the lack of control of rebels and the political conflict in the Congo.  The article puts much of the responsibility of the death of the Congolese on the long-lasting effects the war had on the infrastructure of the Congo.  This article also alludes to how the lack of health care in the Congo may be directly related to the rising mortality rate of the Congolese.  This article, very much like the first article, puts in perspective the horrible state of the Congo and highlights some of the many problems that the Congolese have in their country.  This article was interesting to me because it clearly lays out how the people in the Congo are dying.  However, I would still like to know what national and international efforts are being made to decrease the mortality rate in the Congo.