Congo Post-Leopold

Warm-Up Activity  1890 George Washington Williams’ letters  First missionary reports reach outside  1904 Casement Report  1904 E.D. Morel and Casement create the CRA  1904 Debate in British Parliament on Congo Policy  1908 Belgian State annexes Congo How was reform in the Congo Free State achieved? In pairs, write one (grammatically correct) sentence to answer this question including as many ways / facts that you can…

Independence  1960 June – Congo becomes independent (Democratic Republic of Congo) with Patrice Lumumba as Prime Minister  1961 February – Lumumba murdered, reportedly with US and Belgian complicity*  Why?  (Lumumba sought aid from Russia to help with civil unrest) * The state of being involved with others in an illegal activity or wrongdoing

Joseph Mobutu: President  Took power by coup ( the violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group)  Renamed the Congo – “ Zaire ”  France his only ally  Mobutu nationalizes many foreign- owned firms and forces Europeans out of Zaire

 Mobutu looted the economy (thought to have amassed a $4b personal fortune)  Zaire’s wealth shrank 40% from  1997 – Mobutu flees and dies in Morocco Joseph Mobutu: President 1965 – 1991 continued

Laurent Kabila: President  Laurent Kabila toppled Mobutu but failed to improve his people’s lot  Zaire renamed Democratic Republic of Congo  Great hopes were soon disappointed  Kabila appoints family members to key positions  His son, Joseph, is deputy head of army  1997 and 1998 – Civil war in Congo  Impact of Rwanda genocide (1994)  Widespread instability  2000 – UN Security Council authorizes a 5,500-strong UN force to monitor a ceasefire

Laurent Kabila: President continued  1997 and 1998 – Civil war in Congo  Impact of Rwanda genocide (1994)  Widespread instability  2000 – UN Security Council authorizes a 5,500-strong UN force to monitor a ceasefire

Ethnic tension – Tribal groups – a patchwork quilt

Looting the Congo  Kabila gave Angola and Zimbabwe mining contracts  $5 billion in mining assets were transferred without payment  Rwanda and Uganda plundered eastern Congo’s gold and diamonds

What are the long term impacts?  Kabila’s rebels start recruiting child soldierschild soldiers

President of Congo Today  After Laurent Kabila’s assassination, his son, Joseph, became President  First free elections after 40 years  peace deal  2006 – New Constitution, new flag  All foreign armies forced to withdraw  But…fighting continues in eastern provinces

The legacy?  Estimated 3-5 million died – mostly from starvation and disease  A brutalized population