In 1999, despite a ceasefire agreement, fighting continues in the DRC. The UN sends peacekeepers (MONUC) to enforce the accord, but the Congolese population protests, sometimes violently, MONUC's inaction.

In 2001, Laurent-Désiré Kabila is assassinated in Kinshasa by one of his bodyguards; his son Joseph Kabila succeeds him.

In 2002, 'inter-Congolese' talks lead to the signing of an accord between the Congolese government and the main rebel groups. A peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda puts an official end to the war: the government and the rebels accept to share power in a transitional government that must prepare elections.

In 2005, Parliament and the electorate approve a new constitution that foresees the country's decentralization.

In 2006, for the third time, national democratic elections are held in Congo. It's the first time that women are allowed to vote. As in 1960, many parties participate; voter turnout is 70%. Election results show a division between east and west: Joseph Kabila wins elections in the war-torn east, while most of the west votes for Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former rebel and vice-president. Joseph Kabila wins the elections.