The Democratic Republic of Congo has colonial ties to Belgium, forged in 1877 when Henry M. Stanley, an American correspondent, navigated the Congo River and opened up the area to exploration.
Through contact with Stanley, King Leopold of Belgium was able to negotiate with native chiefs to obtain title to the territory at the Berlin Conference of 1885. Under Leopold there was mass exploitation of slave labour and resources, eventually forcing Belgium to intercede and become the administrator until 1960.
During this period, the country was known as the Belgian Congo.
Mineral-rich Katanga Province & South Kasia spark civil war
The country became independent in 1960. Peace was short-lived, however: within weeks of independence, 2 mineral-rich territories, the Katanga Province and South Kasia, made efforts to secede igniting a civil war. Both Belgium and the United Nations supplied peacekeeping troops in what was to become the beginning of an intensive and consistent United Nations presence in the country.
Civil war and infighting amongst provinces continued for 5 years. Attempts by the UN to introduce national reconciliation policies were roundly rejected by military leaders. Clashes with Belgian and UN peacekeepers were frequent.
In 1965, after a string of interim military leaders, General Joseph-Desire Mobutu, army chief of staff, came to power. He declared himself president for the 5-year period often referred to as the "Congo Crisis."
Mobutu attempts to create a politically organized nation in 1967
The turning point and vehicle for Mobutu's future dominance was the creation of the Popular Movement of the Revolution in 1967 - established with the goal of creating a politically organized nation.
The state and the party became one, and a politically active life was defined as one in support of Mobutu's political visions. Nationalism was the banner under which economic independence and culture became key virtues, downplaying tribalism and consolidating the nationalist identity, centralizing power, and suggesting the need for an all-powerful head of state and executive.
Using the military, strong rhetoric, and idealism around the rebirth of a nation, Mobutu mobilized and consolidated his position, winning the 1970 election and formally asserting control over the country.
DRC then named Republic of Zaire
Over the next 5 years Mobotu gained political strength, and eliminated enough opposition to win the election of 1970. In October 1971, the country was renamed the Republic of Zaire, a name maintained until 1997.
Mobutu himself also changed his name to Mobutu Sese Seko and forced all citizens to adopt African names. Many cities were also renamed during this time.
Mobutu continued to exert nationalistic policies unquestioned over the next 7 years. The first sign of military resistance came from Angola in 1977, with an invasion of troops under the name of the Congolese National Liberation Front.
Laurent Kabila ousts Mobutu from power in 1997
France and Belgium supported Mobutu and supplied troops to quell the rebellion. The regime of Mobutu stayed firmly in place, with regional skirmishes over areas rich in mineral wealth occurring with increasing frequency until May 1997, when a guerrilla movement headed by Laurent Kabila ousted him from power.
Under Kabila the country reclaimed the name Democratic Republic of Congo, in part to create distance from the association of Mobutu and the corruption of Zaire under his rule.
In 1996, the first Congo war broke out as an offshoot of the genocide in neighbouring Rwanda. From 1998 to 2003, the country was plagued by the second Congo war. Fighting and disorder continued as Kabila proved an able autocrat without a clear plan for reunification.
Peace accord - the Lusaka accord - is established in 2003
In this vacuum civil wars resumed, in addition to the inclusion of forces from Rwanda and Uganda. Kabila was backed by Angolan, Namibian and Zimbabwean troops. All 6 countries and the majority of the rebel groups eventually signed a peace accord - the Lusaka Accord - in 2003.
Though a peace accord was brokered in 2003, death, famine, and ongoing violence in the Eastern DRC have continued. Battling rival militias have caused widespread violence, displacement, and conflict often stemming from control of natural resources.
Resource:
BBC.co.uk
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