A Report On The Congo War Essay

What is imperialism? According to Britannica, imperialism is a state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas. Belgium taking over the Congo is an example of this. The Congo was a peaceful country, located in the heart of Africa, consisting of warm sunny days and beautiful Lake Malebo. The people were free, and happy. This was before the hell started… King Léopold II was the reason for this to happen. Léopold found the Congo and immediately fell in love with all the resources that flourished there. Léopold then went on to colonizing the Congo and taking it in for his own. He colonized the

Over a period from 1960-1965, the first Republic of the Congo experienced a period of serious crisis. There was a terrible war for power that displayed senseless violence and the desperation to rule. There were many internal conflicts among the people. The country eventually gained independence from Belgium. For many countries this would be a time for celebration. Unfortunately for the people of the Congo this became a time to forget. Almost immediately after independence and the general elections, the country went into civil war. Major developed cities like Katanga and Kasai wanted to be independent from the Lumumba government. Different factions started to fight the government and Katanga and Kasai tried to secede from the rest

Formerly known as Zaire, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DROC) is located in the center of Africa bordered by nine different countries and one territory. (Lerner, 10) The bordering countries are Central African Republic and Sudan at the northern boarder, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Burundi on the eastern boarder, Zambia and Angola directly South of DROC and Congo on the Western boarder.

For centuries, the Congolese people have lived in a war torn society that just does

1909, over one hundred years ago, was the death of King Leopold of Belgium the sole owner of the Congo. Even years after he has left this earth and is no longer in the reign, the long-lasting effects he has had on the people and the land has forever changed the Congo. The memories left behind from the atrocities that occurred and the diminished resources due to extreme exploitation has prompted the author Adam Hochschild to write the novel, King Leopold’s Ghost. Using an Afrocentric point of view Hochschild describes how the events that took place under Leopold’s orders were acts of true terror and inhumanity.

At these moments, life in the Congo is a living nightmare. The eastern provinces of the Congo see violence every day. Women are getting raped at alarming rates. Children are constantly abused and forced to become child soldiers. There are no sources of medicine or even clean water. Anyone can get murdered at any time, and no one is even safe in their own homes.

Especially, tribes who are less powerful, including the Pygmies. Between October 2002 and January 2003, two rebel groups that go by the names of MLC and RCD-N, “created a systematic genocide against the local tribes and Pygmies nicknamed operation Effacer Le Tableau (Erase the Board)” (Sheshadri). Approximately 70,000 Pygmies were pronounced dead after these acts that occurred between both Rwanda, and the congo. But this was not the pygmies fault nor was it fair. Because Pygmies are only equipped with resources from the rainforest, they have no way of protecting themselves against these rebels who carry military weapons such as guns. Living in a forest where both men and women are not provided with such good health care, creates an unhealthy environment. According to a Mbuti representative who petitioned to the United Nations in 2003, “there are people who experience horrific abuse by armed militia in the congo, including high incidences of rape of women by the armed men” (survival International). Because of this, there has been an “increase of HIV/Aids soaring throughout central Africa” (survival International). This shows that many of the threats being aimed towards the Pygmy population as a whole,

In today’s Congo, there is not health care available to those that reside there and that alone should tell how much lack of government there is. Today the people of the land are still fighting for the rights that were taken from them a century ago. Today the president Kabila remains in power, that is in violation of the constitution. Kabila has and continues to change laws that leave him holding all power in the country.

Over the course of human history, many believe that the “Congo Free State”, which lasted from the 1880s to the early 1900s, was one of the worst colonial states in the age of Imperialism and was one of the worst humanitarian disasters over time. Brutal methods of collecting rubber, which led to the deaths of countless Africans along with Europeans, as well as a lack of concern from the Belgian government aside from the King, combined to create the most potent example of the evils of colonialism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s. The Congo colonial experience, first as the Congo Free State then later as Belgian Congo, was harmful to that region of Africa both then and now because of the lack of Belgian and International

Imperialism is the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies. In 1870, the European powers took over the African Congo and enslaved the natives. Moreover, they were forced to work the land, so the Europeans could obtain the products they needed by using a cheap labor force to turn around and sell them at a profit. These products included such commodities as rubber, diamonds and coffee (A New World Order: Imperialism and World War I). Unfortunately, the people of the Congo were beaten, over worked, raped, and even killed by the European powers if they did not do their job correctly or if they refused to do their task entirely. Eventually,

In the past, many incidents of genocide have occurred, like the Armenian genocide or the Rwandan genocide. While these incidents may seem unrelated to current times, similar incidents are starting to occur in many parts of the world and one such place is Congo. Many sources hint that the conflict that occurs in Congo is a genocide because many elements of genocide appear in the conflict like classification or dehumanization. While what they say has some truth in the sense that this conflict contains some element of genocide but, not enough elements are present to make it a genocide. Although many would believe that the conflict in Congo is a genocide, there is evidence of the conflict being a territorial and power dispute because some countries invading Congo want the resources, others want power, and the cause of the conflict in Congo is the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide.

This is a tale of horror and tragedy in the Congo, beginning with the brutal and exploitative regime of King Leopold II of Belgium, and culminating with the downfall of one of Africa’s most influential figures, Patrice Lumumba. The Congo is but one example of the greater phenomenon of European occupation of Africa. The legacy of this period gives rise to persistent problems in the Congo and throughout Africa. Understanding the roots and causes of this event, as focused through the lense of the Congo, is the subject of this paper.

With these organizations occupying all over the country, it puts the civilians in a state of panic and unease, causing the country as a whole to be hostile. Tribes were forced onto virtual reservations in their villages, pitting one group against the other, thereby destroying traditional trading practices. Congo must take responsibility for its failures. Millions of innocents have lost their lives because of possible genocide, civil wars and underreported outbreaks of diseases due to lack of clean water and basic infrastructure.

The conflict in the Republic of Congo can generally be attributed to a lack of democracy. The lack of democracy has developed an unfair supply of resources and corruption amongst government officials. Corruption in government slows the economic growth for all societies. The government is weak, and the judicial system is vulnerable against large political interference. Political conflict and the damage of social and economic structure have destroyed the economy. Corruption among government officials and foreign investors in the Republic of Congo has increased widespread poverty, hampered economic development, and widened unequal income and wealth distribution that is negatively affecting the poor more than the rich. By implementing new

The Central African Republic (CAR) is located in the heart of equatorial Africa. The country, with an estimated population of 4.4 million and a landmass of 622,984 sq km , is landlocked, sharing borders with Chad, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Republic of the Congo, and Cameroon. The country, a former colony of France (formerly known as Ubangi-Shari), gained independence on August 13, 1960. Like most former colonies, CAR was subject to interference in domestic affairs by its former colonizer. The French were linked to the death of Barthélémy Boganda, the country’s pre-independence leader . The French were also directly involved in several coups within the CAR.