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The areas of the country not under the control of foreign forces are mostly run by local militias (Mai-Mai, Hutu etc.), terrorist forces (Lord's Resistance army etc.), European/Zimbabwean mercenaries, or the Congolese Army, of which whole brigades has disbanded forming their own Colonel Kurz style parallel societies.
Congo is widely recognized as the richest country in the world in terms of natural resources, but it currently has the second lowest GDP pr. Capita per capita in the world.
It's needless to say, that traveling solo in Congo can be ridiculously dangerous, and is not recommended for anyone.
== Safe Areas ==
There is are currently only three relatively small areas safe for tourists, backpackers and hitchhikers. Those are the capital Kinshasa in western Congo, the town of Goma on the border to Rwanda in eastern Congo and the bush land of the easternmost part of the Orientale province in north-eastern Congo. There are few roads and plenty of militias between these areas, and trying to get from one to another overland will cost you months of traveling and most likely your life. It's not worth trying!
== Hitchhiking in the West ==