It was only near the end of Mobuto’s regime, and with the end of the Cold War, that American and Western policy began to change. By the time Mobuto fell in 1997 the USA was glad that a sign of their embarrassing foreign policy was gone and hoped for new economic links. The ousting of Mobuto and continued conflict Mobuto was able to build up his web of supporters both inside and outside the Congo. Many were awarded economic benefits in return for their support for the regime. These people also often felt that the fall of Mobuto would never happen, partly as a result of his army.
There were also huge sums of money that went unaccounted. It was not until 1908 that the Belgian government took over the colony in an attempt to stop this kind of abuse. However, although the administration did improve, wages remained very low, even after the discovery of copper, gold, diamonds and cobalt. The Belgian plunder continued. Some road, rail and town development occurred, but the Congolese themselves were hardly better off than when colonized by Leopold II. Independence and Lumumba From the 50s when the a critical mass toward independence developed across Africa (as epitomized in Nkrumah’s speech) the Belgians initially decided it would be best to follow a slow road to independence - it was thought a period of about thirty years should be allowed.
Republic of Congo | South African History OnlineThe Republic of Congo, also known as Middle Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, and Congo (but not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire, which was also at one time known as the Republic of the Congo), is a former French colony of west-central Africa. It shares common borders with Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Gulf of Guinea. Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government installed in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis Sassou-Nguesso.
The capital is Brazzaville. The Republic of Congo is one of Africa’s oil rich states, however its economic potential is hampered by the current ongoing civil war. In 1876 a vast zone in central Africa was ‘allocated’ to the ‘International African Association’. With this act, the kingdom of the Kongo and other central African territory effectively became the private estate of the Belgian King, Leopold II. So began the oppressive colonial history of corruption, bribery and theft on a scale unprecedented in Africa. Reports by missionaries there on Belgian rubber planters’ treatment of labourers were initially not believed.
At independence celebrations the Belgian King spoke of the bond between Belgium and the Congo, but Lumumba criticized Belgium and the oppression and exploitation experienced under colonial rule. A few days later the Congolese Army turned on Belgian officers and their families. When Belgian troops stepped forward in support of the Belgian officers, tensions rose and the army, joined by other Congolese started attacking other whites. Many whites fled the country, and conflict rose between tribes.
Mobuto began to run a country which received millions of dollars in aid from Western countries. Sadly the majority of this never reached or had an effect on those for whom it was destined, as the kleptocrat Mobutu diverted the money to his own accounts. The Congo, or what he renamed Zaire, remained poor and unemployment and suffering continued. Even Congolese officials came to rely fully on bribes in order of ensure some sort of income.
The Congo experienced a very stable period from 1945 to 1957, and for this reason leaders were unaware of the problems developing under the surface. The publication of the 30-year independence plan, which stated that the development of a ruling elite in the Congo was a generation behind that of the British and French colonies, made the situation worse. In 1959 there were riots in Leopoldville (later to become Kinshasa), and the Belgians panicked and withdrew from the Congo in less than eighteen months.
Corruption and the Western response The West watched passively, continuing to trade with the ruler of one of the most mineral rich states in Africa. Even after rumours concerning the level of corruption and self-enrichment in the country reached Western policy makers, they chose to continue pumping money into the Congo. In the light of the Cold War, this situation was more understandable. Mobuto gave lip-service to siding with the West, giving it a launching pad in the middle of Africa from where they could extend their influence. From the Congo the USA was able to give support to their Angolan puppet, Jonas Savimbi. During the Angolan war the USA Embassy in Kinshasa was one of the biggest CIA stations in the world.
However, in the last days even his army began to fall apart as Mobuto spent the money intended for the army on himself. Under Mobuto’s rule the Congo became dilapidated, and the infrastructure that the Belgians had left behind went to ruin. On one occasion Mobuto was quoted as saying to a fellow dictator, who phoned to say that a rebel army was at his gates, ‘I told you not to build any roads’. The Congo became a country that was impossible to control as a result of bad transport and size. For this reason there was no control over administration in the far away areas. Mobuto always said that he would die in office. However this was not the case – he died on foreign soil in exile and while receiving terminal cancer treatment. Rebel forces had always continued to exist, and these became stronger as dissatisfaction grew. One group that played a big role in the rebellion was the Tutsi of Zaire, because of being denied rights under Mobuto.
Lumumba and the struggle for leadership In May 1960 elections were held, and Lumumba and his Mouvement National Congolais (MNC) became the majority in the central government. Meanwhile, Association des Bakongos (Abako), a party desiring the restoration of the ancient Kongo kingdom, with Joseph Kasavubu as leader, got the majority at the local level. The result was thus indecisive, but Lumumba managed to form a government before the 30 June day of independence. Lumumba became Prime Minister, with Kasavubu as President. Problems however began immediately.
The Belgian Foreign Office eventually sent Roger Casement to investigate the situation. He discovered that workers were treated like wild animals. Most of them were not paid, and if they did not meet their production quotas they would be either tortured or killed. Soldiers would collect baskets of hands to prove that they were carrying out their instructions, and not wasting ammunition. Ears, too were often cut off.
U.S. Department of State - United States Department of State
Democratic Republic of Congo Overview - World Bank