Historical Background of Congo

The space constitutes DRC (Democratic Republic 0f Congo) is about 2 345 000 km2, the longitude and latitude of Congo Kinshasa placed it exactly into the heartland of Black African continent. It hence, touches in the north-west with Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville), in the north with Central African Republic, then with Sudan. In the east side of DRC, the Grand Lakes separate it from Uganda by the lake Albert, Semliki, Ruwenzori and lake Edward, with Rwanda by the lake Kivu, with Burundi with Ruzizi and the north part of Lake Tanganyika. The border with Tanzania across the 600km of lake Tanganyika. In the southern border, Congo touches firstly in the east side with Zambia. Then in the south west side with Angola. They are separate by the river Kasai on 400 km, then Kwango about 300km, and finally by the Congo River.        

In term of political structure from a historical analytic point of view, the first hierarchical institution could be traced in the beginning of IX century (Cornet, J., 1980:612) {<<Autour de l’histoire du Shada>>, Zaire-Afrique1980}. The kingdoms in old Congo, in the contrary with other African Kingdoms, were interethnic. The Kongo Kingdom was constituted by different ethics such as Mbundu and Besi Knogo; Kuba Kingdom had diverse origin from for example Luba, Kete and Mongo, etc. Royalty was representing just like in any other ancient civilization the key component of social political institution. The King was the protector of the people, the king brings the prosperity to the people and the personality of the king is always related to the metal. Yet in the contrary with other civilizations, the kings in Kongo (les Kongo) and all space of Congo, in the contract with a local chief, the king represent a immaterial power, hence the king do not proceed land.

However, I have noticed an interesting fact about the nature of political power struggle in the tradition of old Kingdoms. The kings were of cause considered as the superhuman because they carried the supernatural power. This power could permit a king to participate in the world of ancestors and also lots of other inexplicable behaviors such as to read the future; therefore the king is more than a mortal as the result. By tradition, the place of king could not be contested by a simple human, unless he proceeded at least the similar power. So the royal contestation could be only practiced within the circle of royal clan. In other words, it is permitted to challenge the power of supreme leader but only within the contest of dominant elite. May be this is one explication among others from a social, historical politics perspective to explain why there are so many coup d'état in Black Africa.

 The Portuguese had the first contact with the Kongo around 1482, when navigator Diogo Cam visited the mouth of the Congo River and claimed the surrounding region as Portuguese territory. The Portuguese named the river Rio de Padrão (Pillar River). Soon thereafter, the manikongo, or king, of Kongo converted to Christianity. In 1884, the Berlin West Africa Conference was attended by representatives of all European powers with colonial interests in Africa, they established rules for the division of the continent of Africa among them. And the region of Congo became Leopold II of Belgium personal property, and was called the Congo Free State and later as Belgian Congo.  The control under Belgian monarchy over Congo took a hundred years. But in 1960 Belgian has no choice but to leave Congo as the result of rising independent movement. The two principal parties who challenged the colonial authority were the Abako (Bakongo Alliance), led by Joseph Kasavubu, and the Congolese National Movement, led by militant nationalist Patrice Lumumba. In preindependence elections in May 1960 Lumumba's Congolese National Movement showed the greatest strength, followed by Abako. By agreement between the two leading parties, Lumumba became Prime Minister, and Kasavubu became president. The independent Republic of the Congo was proclaimed in Léopoldville (Kinshasa) on June 30, 1960.

One year later, the new government and Congo as state totally collapsed, Lumumba was assassinated by his left hand Mobutu, who was in fact an agent of CIA at that time. To make a long story short: in early September, President Kasavubu, with Western support, turned against Lumumba and dismissed him, replacing him with Joseph Ileo (later called Sombo Amba Ileo). Lumumba rejected the legality of the dismissal and in turn dismissed Kasavubu. The Congolese government was deadlocked. On September 13 the UN forces gave up control of the airports and radio station to Lumumba. However, the next day the Congolese army—led by army chief of staff Colonel Joseph Désireé Mobutu (or Mobutu Sese Seko), seized control of the government. In December 1960 Antoine Gizenga, former deputy prime minister in Lumumba’s government, proclaimed himself Prime Minister and designated Stanleyville (now Kisangani) as the capital of the Congo. Over the next months his government was recognized by most Communist and Arab nations and by Ghana, and the USSR began sending arms and advisers. In January 1961 pro-Lumumba soldiers invaded northern province of Katanga. Until 1967 when Mobutu became the second president, Congo was in a total social political chaos.

I do not want to examine in detail the cause of UN peacekeeping force involvement in post colonial Congolese civil war and the nature of military and political struggle between the left and right Congolese parties. Just need to highlight that this is the beginning of Kabila’s involvement as a young soldier in the communist combat against Mobutu and his western backers.