History of the Congo

The following is a brief historical outline of important dates in the Congo. I wrote this to help me better understand the setting and political implications that are relevent to Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible

1955-1966
In the mid 1950s, the people of Congo, under Belgian rule started an uprising against the Belgians in the name of their independence. The Belgians realized that they no longer had enough power to control Congo and January 27, 1960, they announced that they would relinquish their control after six months. On, June 30, 1960, the Congo gained its independence and renamed itself the Republic of Congo. Congolese elected Patrice Lumumba as Prime minister and Joseph Kasavubu President. The country was however not being managed well and Congo’s two richest provinces, Katanga, and Kasai, separated themselves from the country. Moise Tshombe now ruled Katanga, and Europeans still had access to its resources. Patrice asked the USSR for help and Nikita Khrushchev greed to do so. However, the USA thought this was a bad idea, and the UN ended up not allowing Nikita Khrushchev aid the Congo. Tension between Lumumba and Kasavubu rose and eventually led Colonel Mobutu, with the help of Kasavubu and the USA to imprison Lumumba and eventually execute him. The UN and the Congolese government gained control of the two stray provinces while Lumumba followers rose in rebellion.

2000-2007
At this time, a second Congolese war was brewing. In January 2001, Laurent-Desire Kabila, Congolese president was assassinated by one of his bodyguards. Kabila’s son Joseph gained the position of president after his father’s death. He held peace talks with Uganda and Rwanda, which had control over much of Congo at the time. Ethnic clashes made peace even more difficult to obtain, however, in June 2002, the countries signed a peace treaty, equaling power. To establish the government, the Congolese held elections on July 30, 2006 and elected Kabila over his opponent Jean-Pierre Bemba. Bemba supporters were very upset and held riots after the throughout the country.