Very few know about this, but leopold ii should be known as a hitler, or even worse than hitler, but then again, that is if people consider congolese black people as people. The detailed descriptions of crimes, paired with the decision to label some of them as genocide or potential genocide opens a door for justice where there has been none. Congo, the rwandan genocide, and the making of a continental catastrophe, is a fascinating book on the chaos of africas first world war, written by gerard prunier. August 2nd is the day that us allies rwanda and uganda invaded the democratic republic of the congo, starting the second congo war in 1998. However, the use of the term genocide in the report is very serious. As rwanda remembers the 20th anniversary of the genocide in which some 800,000 mainly ethnic tutsis were killed, massacres of hutus in neighbouring democratic republic of. Some described it as africas own world war, the spillover from the rwandan genocide that involved the armies of nine african nations. As a new tutsi government was established in rwanda after the genocide, more than two million hutus sought refuge in eastern congo.
In some cases, victims became perpetrators, while perpetrators were themselves sometimes subjected to serious violations of human rights and international. An examination of its historical and contemporary tactical uses, effects on victims and societies and psychological explanations. An examination of its historical and contemporary tactical. Each of them has a different perspective on what they saw and experienced and what was happening around them.
Leopold acquired the congo through unethical means and thus took the people. The danger of genocide needs to be brought to the attention of world opinion. The historiography of belgian colonialism in the congo pdf. This timeline traces the development of the term genocide and its codification into international law. The slaughter of hutus in congo is little known, and its perpetrators never have been brought to justice. A summary of the rwandan genocide polytechnic school. This video is about the congo free state genocide commited by king leopold ii of belgium.
Congo free state historical state, africa britannica. Why king leopold ii should be remembered alongside hitler. An interview with sylvestre mido by bar contributor ann garrison. King leopold ii and the congolese genocide african heritage. Marijke verpoorten estimates that there were between 717,300 and 837,100 tutsi in rwanda the death toll of the rwandan genocide. On the eve of the tenth anniversary of the rwanda genocide, the school of journalism and communication at carleton university in ottawa hosted a oneday symposium on march 2004, entitled the media and the rwanda genocide.
Speeches about the horrors of king leopolds congo would be given as far away. Human rights violations and genocide in the democratic republic of the congo. Paul kagames tutsi rebels take power in rwanda, hutus flee into zaire. When the belgian king leopold ii acquired the congo free state during the scramble for africa in 1885, he claimed he was establishing the colony for humanitarian and scientific purposes, but in reality, its sole aim was profit, as much as possible, as fast as possible. Leopold proposed establishing an international benevolent committee for the propagation of civilization among the peoples of central africa the congo region. Two separate reports by the united nations, in 1997 and 1998, examined whether or not crimes of genocide had been committed against civilian hutu population and hutu refugees, and concluded that, according to article 2 of the 1948 genocide convention, the crime of genocide has been committed. The genocide in rwanda, like all genocides, was a complex phenomenon that resulted from a combination of longterm structural factors as well as more. Burundi, zaire now the democratic republic of the congo and uganda. Kabila distanced himself from his original alliance with rwanda and uganda and, a week later, rwanda invaded eastern congo for various reasons. Ripples of genocide incorporates the firsthand accounts of two individuals who visited the drc, angelina jolie and john prendergast.
Angelina is an actress and unhcr goodwill ambassador. He forced congolese into hard labor, so hard that some. In response to violence carried out by exiled rwandan hutu genocidaires, rwandan and ugandan forces invaded the. It was created in the 1880s as the private holding of a group of european investors headed by leopold ii, king of the belgians. Many different, complex conflicts have intersected. Like mafia dons pretending to be honest businessmen, successive u. A black agenda radio commentary by glen ford the u. The second congo war, or african world war, began in 1998. In the period from 1885 to 1908, many welldocumented atrocities were perpetrated in the. The wars and violence in eastern drc have led to serious loss of life, trauma and violence for all local communities, and not just for the banyamulenge community. More than 10 million congolese are said to have died under the rule of leopold ii, in his colony. The mass graves at a banana plantation in congo tell of a second rwanda genocide. Of rectangular form, it is composed of two rightangled triangles of green and red.
In 1870 roughly 80 percent of africa south of the sahara desert was governed by indigenous kings, chiefs, and other rulers. Rwandan genocide the slaughter of 800,000 people youtube. Good books and films about mass atrocities in the congo. Genocost, a ukbased congolese advocacy group, commemorated congo genocide on august 2. The atrocities of the congo free state rubber regime. Congos formal economy had practically collapsed even before the recent wave of conflicts, which started in 19941996. King leopold ii and the congo the european colonization of africa was one of the greatest and swiftest conquests in human history. Rwandan genocide had a significant negative impact on zaire as rwandan hutus. Genocide is a term used to describe violence against members of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group with the intent to destroy the entire group. This empire was known as the congo free state and leopold ii stood as its undisputed slave master. The most ambitious of several remarkable new books that reexamine the extraordinary tragedy of congo and central africa since the rwandan genocide of 1994. In the wake of the 1994 rwandan genocide in which 800,000 tutsis and moderate hutus were killed, millions of rwandan refugees flooded into the eastern democratic republic of congo. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. This is the day that us allies rwanda and uganda invaded the democratic republic of the congo, starting the second congo war in 1998.
Lawyer raphael lemkin, the coiner of the term genocide, attributed the quick. How are the genocides in rwanda and the democratic republic of the congo related. Between 1996 and 1997, the first congo war involved the targeting of rwandan hutu refugees, amongst them perpetrators of genocide, on the one hand and of. In honor of this, we compiled a resource list of books and films themed around each of the past genocides that have commemorative dates in april, plus the regions where we focus our awareness and advocacy efforts on an ongoing basis we hope you will make use of this list as a way to both remember these genocides, and learn more. Blood minerals and africas underreported first world war. This book is no walk in the park, and for various reasons. Though a peace treaty was signed in 2003, the violence, displacement, and mass killing continue. Origins, causes, implementation, consequences, and the postgenocide era donatien nikuze research and documentation center on genocide, national commission for the fight against genocid, republic of rwanda abstract. Image, word, and testimony of crimes against humanity in mark. This is a genocide emergency for the banyamulenge of eastern democratic republic of congo.
But there was a time, at the peak of european imperialism in africa, when belgiums king leopold ii ran a personal empire so vast and cruel, it rivaled and even exceeded the crimes of even the worst 20th century dictators. The drc is at the very bottom of various global development rankings. Today, we will talk about leopold ii, the belgian king, who killed millions of congolese. The kings attention was drawn to the region during henry later sir henry. The democratic republic of the congo enough project.
This thesis argues that king leopold ii, in his exploitation of the congo, dealt the congo a future of. Background report on eastern democratic republic of the congo. Genocost, a ukbased congolese advocacy group, commemorated congo genocide this week on august 2nd. Second rwanda genocide is revealed in congo world news. Regions that were hard to access or lacked profitable resources escaped much of the. John is a policy analyst with the international crisis group. The democratic republic of congo formerly zaire has a long history of conflict, but its recent crises can be traced to the aftermath of the 1994 rwandan genocide. Genocide is a heavy word with significant implications for policy and peacebuilding. In 1904, edmund dene morel, cofounder of the britishbased congo reform association cra. Genocide the policy of leopold ii in the congo free state has recently come under attack in the british media, and more particularly in the bbc documentary white king, red rubber, black death. Democratic republic of the congo world without genocide.
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