Upside Down V In A Circle Car Logo, Articles W

Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. They favored certain ethnic groups, especially the ones that would allow them to continue to colonize and plunder the rich natural resources of the Congo. These conflicts resulted in many wars and episodes of genocide. Political instability created by tension between clan and central leadership in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, and tribal rivalry leading to genocide in Rwanda are at least in part the result of a colonial legacy that took far more from Africa than it gave. [2] Belgian traders also extended their influence in West Africa but this too fell apart following the Rio Nuez Incident of 1849 and growing Anglo-French rivalry in the region. The French first began colonizing Africa in the 17th century, although they did not start having a significant presence on the continent until the 19th century. This exploration led initially to the establishment of the Congo Free State. This conflict has been labeled Africas war. Although fighting stopped in 1999, rebel groups continued their attacks on defenseless civilians and the Congolese central government. that existed between the Europeans and the Africans. * As many as 10 million people are estimated to have died in Congo from killings, famine and disease . Belgian native policy, which had rigidified the ethnic boundaries between Tutsi and Hutu and consequently had exacerbated the ethnic identity of these groups, was largely responsible for the intensification of ethnic rivalry between these groups after the end of foreign rule. With the promise of open trade, Leopold convinced world powers to recognize what eventually became the Association Internationale du Congo (AIC) as the legal authority over a vast territory in the heart of Africa. The aristocracy, who were essentially the Tutsi, owned all the land and earned tributes from the farmers, who were mainly Hutu. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations.