Democratic Republic of Congo
Muslims came to this geographically large country, located in the hard-to-reach central parts of Africa, in the 18th century. Muslims, mainly found in the eastern parts of the country, comprise about 10-15% of the country's population. Most of the remaining population is Christianized indigenous people and 10% are members of traditional local religions.
The first generation of Muslims were Muslim merchants who traveled from the east coast of Africa to the interior of Tanzania for commercial purposes in the 1700s and arrived in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although their purpose of arrival was commercial, the connection they established with the region and the local people led to the formation of a large Muslim settlement in the region in the following periods.
The Muslim minority entered a troubled period especially after 2010, following the uprising that swept the eastern parts of the country. Some of the Muslims, who were accused of collaborating with the opposition armed groups and became targets of the government, were forced to leave their homes and migrate to other regions.
