Belgian Congo Dr Livingstone I presume Motivations for Belgian Imperialism Henry Stanley was hired to find Dr Livingstone MissionaryExplorer For this he became famous King Leopold II hires Stanley to survey Congo River and trace its course ID: 660462
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Slide1
Decolonization In Africa – Case Study: Democratic Republic of the CongoSlide2
Belgian CongoDr. Livingstone, I presume?
Motivations for Belgian ImperialismHenry Stanley was hired to find Dr. Livingstone (Missionary/Explorer). For this, he became famous.King Leopold II hires Stanley to survey Congo River and trace its courseTo control land in the Congo, Leopold founded the International Association of the Congo
Stanley signs
treaties with over 450 native chiefs
in
the Congo
Leopold
gained rule of these lands
‘given up’
by the chiefs
In 1885, after the Berlin Conference, Leopold was given personal rule over the newly declared Congo Free State
European
powers recognized his hold over
Congo
Patterns of Takeover
In many cases Europeans managed to secure colonial acquisitions by making alliances with local rulers.
Europeans would promise to sustain the local ruler against his enemies in exchange for a degree of control and supply of
labour
(the slave trade is built on this model)Slide3
Stanley’s Expedition Slide4
King Leopold’s Ghost1885 – Berlin Conference
Leopold granted ‘Congo Free State’ Ivory and rubber were main exportsSlave labour controlled by Leopold’s agents
Elephant depleted to virtual extinction
Pneumatic tires increase demand for rubber
Est. 10 million natives of the Congo die as a result
Families kidnapped to force people to harvest rubberBelgians were known to cut peoples hands if they did not 1908 - the Congo was surrendered by Leopold to Belgium
‘Belgian Congo’The worst abuses were eliminated because the Belgians still wanted
copper
, oil, diamonds and other minerals
People
began to demand self rule.Slide5
Congolese Independence1955
Belgian Professor Antoin van Bilsen publishes a "30-Year Plan" for granting the Congo increased self-government.The Belgium government agreed to give their political power to the people because they were so confident that they would later regain control
.
1958/59
Belgium begins to lose control over events in the Congo following serious nationalist riots in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa).1960
In May 1960, a growing nationalist movement, the Mouvement National Congolais (MNC) led by Patrice Lumumba won the parliamentary elections. The party appointed Lumumba as Prime Minister. The parliament elected Joseph Kasavubu
of the Alliance des Bakongo (ABAKO) party as President.On 5 September 1960, Kasavubu dismissed Lumumba from office.
On
17 January 1961,
Katangan
forces and Belgian paratroopers – supported by the United States – kidnapped and executed Patrice Lumumba.
1965After the fail rebellion led by Pierre Mulele in 1964, Joseph
Mobutu
, formerly Chief of staff of Lumumba seized the power with support from the CIA on 25 November 1965. Slide6
Mobutu
took control of Congo in 1965
made
all political parties illegal because they were causing problems in the country
1967
- (MPR) Popular Movement of the Revolution. Africanisation’ - new flag, new national anthem, and now – Zaire
Mobutu also changed the capital name from Leopoldville to Kinshasa.Bribery, Corruption, Terror, Torture – a Model for Amin (Uganda) and Mugabe (Zimbabwe)Nationalized foreign owned business and made Western investors leave (Zaire).
1990 had to unban the rule against political parties and then in 1997 he was over powered and fled the country with his family.
Congo in debt billions of dollars by the 1980
’
s in large part due to Mobutu’s accumulation of personal wealthSlide7
The Great African War, 1997-2003
Major driver of the continued violence is Minerals – Tin, Tantalum, Tungsten, Gold and Diamonds
This cycle of violence has enveloped the DRC since 1997
It has presented opportunities for various armed groups, both state and non-state, to plunder natural resources by creating and maintaining an environment of exploitation, instability, horror, and appalling inequality.
Militia groups and the state fight for control and access to mines. Armed groups in the area made an estimated total of $185 million in 2008 from the mines.
Congolese Civilians, many of them children, are forced to work the mines at gunpoint and forfeit any of their findings to the armed forces in controlRape and torture of woman are a common weapon used to enforce labor and cooperation in the mines and surrounding towns.Slide8
Key Players:
Congolese Tutsi with Governments of Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda, relied on the Rwandan Military presence in the DRC (FAC) for protection against Hostile armed groups operating in the Eastern part of the country. These Groups Include:Interahamwe militia of Ethnic Hutus (mostly from Rwanda who fought the Tutsi dominates Government of Rwanda)Hutu Members of the Former Rwandan Armed Forces, believed to be responsible for the 1994 Genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda.
The Mai Mai, loose association of traditional Congolese local defense forces which fourth the influx of Rwandan immigrants
The Alliance of Democratic Forces (ADF) made of Ugandan expatriates and supported by the Government of Sudan which fought the Government of
UgandaSeveral Groups of Hutus from Burundi fighting the Tutsi-dominated Government of Burundi.
The Congolese National Army or the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FDRC)
Shadow Supporters:French support for
Belgians Joseph Kabila
Chinese
Weapons trafficking thru S. Africa
Mining interests
USASupport for Rwanda, but mining interests?Slide9Slide10
Current Status
The full name of the former imperialized nation is the Democratic Republic of the CongoA constitution in 2005 divided the country into 26 almost self-governing provincesAfter 4 years of instability between 2 different
constitutions
;
settled into a stable presidential democratic republic and now Kabila is seeking to alter constitution (again)Population has increased by 6 million since 1997
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a developing country with many valuable resources
Economy has declined drastically since mid-1980s
This is as a result of the First and Second Civil Wars that have reduced national output, increased debt, and killed more than 5 million people
Most citizens are farmers
Wars have made women of almost no value and they are not treated as equals
Many children are not able to attend school because of enrollment fees
Many languages and cultures make it difficult for the nation to be unitedSlide11
New World Order
End of Cold War did not bring peace to the world - numerous regional conflicts and ethnic rivalries, such as:
Gulf
War – Iraqi invasion of Kuwait (1991) Former Yugoslavia (1991-1999)
Somalia (1992)
Rwanda (1994)Afghanistan (2001-present)US invasion of Iraq (2003-present)Slide12
Peacekeeping – In A New World Order
Achieved by deploying unarmed or lightly armed military personnel from a number of countries between the armed forces of the states that were formerly at warIn these circumstances – ceasefire in place and parties involved agreed to allow UN forces to be present
Peacekeepers NOT part of the conflict – they observed the ceasefireSlide13
Peacekeeping – cont’
With end of Cold war - dramatic shift in role of UN peacekeepersa) More Missionsb) Peacekeeping WITHIN states
Often in civil war situations
Without borders - often no clear area of conflict – fighting spread out throughout country’s territory
Cyprus – UN buffer Zone in BlueSlide14
Peacekeeping cont’
c) More ActorsNow other organizations such as NATO have become involvedd) Peace “Making”Peacekeeping no longer simply standing between 2 armies to keep the peace
Increasingly a matter of
creating
a peace where none exists Slide15
UN - Africa Missions
Adobe Acrobat Required !
UN peacekeeping missions
UN peacemaking or peace-building in Africa
Slide16
Somalia - 1992
A drought-ridden land, Somalia engaged in civil war, with no internationally recognized government, from 1991 until 2005thousands died from starvation and warSlide17
Somalia – cont’
In 1992, the United States organized an international military force to try to end the chaos - Known as
“
Operation Restore Hope”Canada contributed 900 soldiers from its elite Airborne Regiment. The mission was a disaster.
The troops were unable to establish control and found themselves fighting the very people they had been sent to help. Slide18
Somalia – cont’
Some desperate Somalis started stealing from the soldiers' supplies. On March 4, 1993, Canadian soldiers found two Somalis on the grounds of their Belet Huen camp.They shot at the pair, killing one and wounding the other.Slide19
Somalia – 1992
A few days later, a teenager was caught breaking into the campSoldiers beat him to death. One of these Canadian soldiers subsequently attempted suicide A huge cover-up occurred, stretching all the way to the top ranks of the militarySlide20
“Somalia Affair”
The military scandal that ensued, magnified by a highly politicized and publicized enquiry, that greatly damaged the reputation amongst Canadians of their military resulted in the disbandment of the military unit involved (Airborne Regiment), as well significant changes to the Canadian Forces
Somalia Affair
http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1826243555
Somalia ‘Fast Facts’
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/10/world/africa/somalia-fast-facts/index.htmlSlide21
Rwanda – 1994
Rwanda is one of the smallest countries in Central Africa, with just 7 million people, and is comprised of two main ethnic groups, the Hutu and the Tutsi. Hutus account for 85-90% of the populationTutsi minority (10-15%) was made the aristocracy of Rwanda during Belgian colonial rule and dominated Hutu peasants for decades
Following independence from Belgium in 1962, the Hutu majority seized power and reversed the roles, oppressing the Tutsis through systematic discrimination and acts of violence.Slide22
Rwanda – cont’
As a result, over 200,000 Tutsis fled to neighboring countries and formed a rebel guerrilla army, the Rwandan Patriotic FrontIn October 1993 the first elected Hutu president of Burundi was assassinated, sparking conflict
A 2,500 U.N. peacekeeping force was sent to preserve a cease-fire while Rwandan and Burundi presidents met to work out a peace planSlide23
Rwandan Genocide
April, 1994 - Hutus began an unprecedented killing spree, while the international community watched in horror and did nothing. In July 1994, Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutus, stopping the genocide, which had claimed over 800,000 lives, more than 10% of Rwanda’s population.Slide24
Rwanda
Canadian General Romeo
Dallaire
was in charge of the mission
His hands were continuously tied by UN Genocide may have been stopped if they had allowed him to intervene earlier
Dallaire Remembers the Rwandan Genocidehttp://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1742179789Slide25
Rwanda