The King, not the Belgian government, effectively owned and controlled the Congo. Leopold administered the Congo in a notoriously brutal manner, using it to augment his own personal wealth. The Congo's wealth, which included its numerous rubber trees, was brutally extracted using what was basically slave labor. read more
In 1964 a large communist rebellion engulfed the eastern Congo. Belgian settlers fled in the face of violence and anti-white sentiment. Settler properties in Orientale and Kivu were seized. Missionaries were targeted, with some being murdered and humiliated. Many nuns were raped. read more
In response to the crisis, the Belgian government sent Belgian paratroopers to protect Belgian citizens in the Congo. This was an illegal act as the Congo was an independent nation and free from Belgian rule. The government of the Congo had not invited the troops in. read more