The Butcher Of Congo: King Leopold The Second Of Belgium

King Leopold II of Belgium caused the deaths and suffering of 10 million people in Congo during the late 1800s. Belgium today has benefited a lot from the resources and wealth taken from the Congo River Basin area.

In the 1880s, European countries were dividing Africa among themselves, and King Leopold II took control of the Congo Free State, an area much larger than Belgium, filled with valuable rubber trees. In 1876, he set up a group called the International African Association, pretending it was to help the people of Africa, but really he used it to take over the Congo and make a lot of money for himself.

For 23 years, from 1885 to 1908, his rule in the Congo was brutal. People were killed or badly hurt, forced to work until they died, children were taken hostage, and villages were burned down. All of this happened even though Leopold II never actually went to the Congo himself.

It's important to note that during this time, other countries were also being cruel to native peoples around the world. However, the violence in Congo was so extreme that it caught the attention of many Europeans who spoke out against it. A famous author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, even wrote a book in 1909 about the terrible things happening in the Congo.

The chiefs of the Congolese tribes, who couldn't read or write, were tricked into selling their people into slavery for just some pieces of cloth. If people didn't collect enough rubber as demanded by the Belgian officers, they were beaten or had their hands cut off.

Leopold II had a private army to enforce his cruel rules. This army was made up of white officers leading black soldiers, some of whom were forced into service as children. They carried out horrifying punishments on those who resisted.

Leopold II became incredibly wealthy from exploiting the Congo, leaving behind a fortune when he died. Today, the Democratic Republic of Congo is very rich in minerals, but its history has been marked by struggle and corruption. After gaining independence from Belgium in 1960, the country's first democratically elected president was killed in a coup that had support from the US and Belgian governments. Corruption continued under different leaders, leading to more suffering for the people of Congo.