The Belgian Congo (French: Congo belge, pronounced [kɔ̃ɡo bɛlʒ]; Dutch: Belgisch-Congo) [a] was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville).

From 1885 to 1908, many atrocities were committed in the Congo Free State (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo) under the absolute rule of King Leopold II of Belgium. These atrocities were particularly associated with the labour policies, enforced by colonial administrators, used to collect natural rubber for export.

Jan 11, 2025 · Belgian Congo (Congo Belge) was a colony in Africa that was ruled by Belgium from 1908 until June 30, 1960, when it became an independent republic; it is now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Read here to learn more about the Belgian Congo.

Jun 8, 2022 · Belgium's King Philippe is on his first visit to former colony Democratic Republic of Congo, where many remain angry at Belgium's failure to apologise for decades of brutal rule.

On February 5, 1885, Belgian King Leopold II established the Congo Free State by brutally seizing the African landmass as his personal possession. Rather than control the Congo as a colony , as other European powers did throughout Africa, Leopold privately owned the region .

The Congo Free State, also known as the Independent State of the Congo (French: État indépendant du Congo), was a large state and absolute monarchy in Central Africa from 1885 to 1908. It was privately owned by King Leopold II, the constitutional monarch of …

May 15, 2024 · Belgium's colonization of the Congo represents one of the most brutal examples of exploitation through imperialism, this becomes evident by the widespread offenses, forced labor, and human rights violations fulfilled under King Leopold II’s unforgiving sovereignty with the greedy intention of wealth and power.

Leopold II’s reign in the Congo became an international scandal due to large-scale mistreatment of the indigenous peoples, including frequent mutilation and murder of men, women, and children to enforce rubber production quotas. Describe the brutal ways in which the Belgians abused the inhabitants of the Congo.

Belgian Congo was a Belgian colony in central Africa. It was formed in 1908. The government of Belgium took over the previously separate kingdom of Belgium's monarch Léopold II; the Congo Free State.Today it is called the Democratic Republic of the Congo.It existed between Léopold II's formal transfer of his personal control to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese …

5 days ago · Belgium wants to take action to stop violence in eastern Congo. Belgian Foreign Minister Bernard Quintin (Francophone liberal) says: ‘Words alone are not enough; action must be taken’. By doing so, Belgium is sending a clear signal to the M23 rebels, who last night claimed to have completely seized Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo.