A Congo comeback

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA is such a jumble of failed states, poverty and warfare that it’s easy to overlook an important fact: As bad as things are, a concerted effort by African leaders and the international community to turn the continent around is actually bearing fruit. One tenuous example is the Democratic Republic of Congo, a huge and deeply troubled country that just held its first democratic election in 45 years.

Congo has a new constitution, overwhelmingly approved in a December referendum. National revenues tripled between 2000 and 2005, while international donors have launched a variety of important programs aimed at shoring up the country’s fragile new government. Considering Congo’s history of armed rebellion, dictatorship and political assassination, that’s real progress.

The July 30 presidential election had the best possible outcome: No one won it outright. On Sunday, officials announced that interim President Joseph Kabila won 45% of the vote, while closest challenger Jean-Pierre Bemba took 20%; because neither won a majority, the two will face each other in a runoff Oct. 29. Had Kabila won, it probably would have produced violence in Kinshasa even worse than the skirmishes that have killed at least 14 people between Sunday and Tuesday, because Bemba is far more popular in the capital and has a large armed following. The runoff means that both men will have to appeal to a wider segment of voters, which could help head off clashes after the October tally.

But for all the good news, Congo’s stability is teetering on a knife’s edge. The difference between politics and warfare there is slim; politicians tend to be warlords, and losers seldom cede power gracefully. Though there have been notable improvements, the government is still a kleptocracy, the courts barely function, law enforcement is a joke, and the army is a danger only to the citizenry -- commanders routinely embezzle soldiers’ salaries, so enlisted men are forced to extort money from the populace to survive.

The danger is that the international community will point to Congo’s successful election, declare victory and move on. Indeed, a United Nations-sponsored committee that has coordinated the efforts of international donors and aid organizations is slated to dissolve after the October election, and a U.N. fundraising program for Congo aiming to raise $705 million this year had managed as of last month to reach only $183 million, according to the International Crisis Group.

After the election, aid efforts should be redoubled and focused more clearly on fighting corruption and strengthening government institutions. Donors have spent more than $6 billion over the last five years on Congo. If the government collapses now, that will have been wasted.