The Democratic Republic of Congo: $24 Trillion Reasons Why That Country Will Never Know Peace and Prosperity
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The Democratic Republic of Congo is cursed.
While the same thing can be said for Haiti in the Western sphere, but I think that it is worth sticking to the subject matter of the Congo.
Contrary to what some folks think, the mess didn’t start with the US backed Mobutu Sese-Seko, but with a ghastly individual who had whore houses around Europe.
His name?
Leopold II.
Unhappy at the prospect of being cut out of the scramble for Africa, the Belgian rebarbative lobbied very hard for a piece of the most lucrative part of Africa and he was obliged by the leading players at the Berlin conference.
What he did with the territory which was given to him should never be forgotten.
Our man went out of his way to not only exploit the resources buried underneath the Congolese earth but also to embark on a policy of killing and maiming those who chose not to do his bidding.
While we have all been educated about the evils which took place in Nazi Germany, not enough people have been educated about the crimes against humanity which took place on Leopold II’s watch.
It is estimated that 10 million Africans were killed on his watch and countless others had their limbs chopped off.
Even when his crimes became known around the world, the Belgian suffered no consequences.
Belgium’s wealth was (still is) inextricably linked to the Congo.
And when it became unfashionable to hold on to colonies, the Belgians knew that the party was over and were desperately unhappy at the prospect of a very smart African — Patrice Lumumba — running the show.
By now, the Americans, who wanted to shape and control the agenda, had their sights set on removing Lumumba.
Not because of their visceral hatred of communism and Soviet Russia but because of the vast reserves of Cobalt, which is an essential mineral and relevant component in electronic gadgets.
