The Congo is a country
in central Africa. David Livingstone was the first European explorer
to enter the region. His reports resulted in King Leopold II of Belgium
establishing the Congo Free
State. Except for the sending of Christian missionaries to the area,
little was done to prepare the country for independence.
In October, 1958, Patrice
Lumumba founded
the National Congolese Movement (MNC). He became president of the
organization and the following year led a series of demonstrations
and strikes against the Belgian colonial government. Lumumba called
for the Congo to be granted its immediate
independence from Belgium. Lumumba was arrested but after sustained
demonstrations the authorities were forced to release him.
After parliamentary elections
in May 1960 the MNC became the country's strongest party. Patrice
Lumumba became
the new prime minister and immediately talked about the need for social
and economic changes in the country. His decision to adopt a non-aligned
foreign policy resulted in the CIA becoming
interested in the developments in the Congo.
The country was governed
from Leopoldville (Kinshasa). In Kantanga, a rich mining province,
was very much under the control of Moise
Tshombe. In July 1960, Tshombe, supported by white mercenaries
and the Belgian mining company Union Minière, declared Katanga
independent. Lumumba appealed to the United Nations
for help and Dag
Hammarskjold agreed
to send in a peace-keeping force to restore order.
The following month Colonel
Sese Seko Mobutu, with the support of
the United States and Belgium,
led a military coup and ousted Patrice
Lumumba from
power. Lumumba was arrested by Mobutu's soldiers and transferred to
Elizabethville, Katanga, where he was murdered on 17th January, 1961.
In
September 1961 fighting erupted between Katanga troops and the noncombatant
forces of the UN. In an effort to secure a cease-fire he arranged
to meet President Moise Tshombe. On
17th September 1961 Dag
Hammarskjold was
killed when his plane crashed close to Ndola airport.
The UN
Security Council passed a resolution demanding an inquiry into
the circumstances of his death. This was rejected by Moise
Tshombe but evidence emerged later that the Belgian government
was behind the events in Katanga.
The fighting continued
and independent regimes were established at different times in Katanga,
Stanleyville and Kasai. For a while Tshombe lived in Europe but returned
to become prime minister of the Congo Republic in July 1964. After
holding corrupt elections he was forced to flee and went to live in
Spain.
General Sese
Seko Mobutu staged another military coup in November 1965. He
placed Tshombe on trial for treason in his absence and was condemned
to death. In July
1967 Tshombe was kidnapped and taken to Algeria. Moise Tshombe died
in prison of a heart-attack on 29th June 1969.
Mobutu decided on a policy
of Africanization and in October 1971 he changed the name of the country
back to Zaire (the name of the country in the 14th century). Three
months later a Nationality Law decreed the abolition of all European
names for persons and places.
Despite this action Mobutu
continued to arrange trading agreements with foreign companies engaged
in exploiting the country's valuable copper deposits. He also received
support from the United States who helped him develop a one party,
anti-Communist, dictatorship.
Two further revolts took
place in 1977 and 1978 and was only put down with the help of the
French
Army.
Zaire continued to suffer from economic problems and in May 1997 rebel
forces led by Laurent Kabila forced Sese
Seko Mobutu to flee the country.
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