1. Congo Post-Leopold

2. 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…

3. 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

4. Joseph Mobutu: President 1965 - 1991
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

5. Joseph Mobutu: President 1965 – 1991
continued
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

6. Laurent Kabila: President 1997 - 2001
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

7. Laurent Kabila: President 1997 - 2001 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

8. Ethnic tension – Tribal groups – a patchwork quilt

9. 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

10. What are the long term impacts?
Kabila’s rebels start recruiting child soldiers

11. 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

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