History of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

A. The Kingdoms (from the 5th to the 18th century)

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the region was inhabited by Bantu populations and Pygmies.

The Bantu people were organized into kingdoms, the most prominent being: the Kingdom of Kongo (15th century)^, the Luba Kingdom (15th century), the Lunda Kingdom (16th century), Kazembe (18th century), and other kingdoms such as Kuba, Yaka, and Teke. Additionally, there were independent chiefdoms among the Mangbetu, Azande, and Mongo peoples.

B. The Explorations (19th century)

Several centuries after the discovery of the Congo River estuary in 1482 by Diego Cao, the 19th century saw further exploration, revealing the potential of the Congo Basin to the outside world.

In 1816, the British explorer Tuckey sailed up the Congo River to the Yelala Falls, marking the beginning of scientific explorations in Central Africa. Later, the Anglo-American journalist and explorer Henry Morton Stanley famously met the Scottish missionary and traveler David Livingstone at Ujiji on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania on October 27, 1871.

Attracted by the potential of the Congo, King Leopold II of Belgium founded the International Association of the Congo (AIC) in October 1882. Through this organization, he launched multiple exploratory expeditions, ultimately leading to the creation of the Congo Free State (EIC). This was officially recognized at the Berlin Conference in 1885, establishing the Congo as the personal property of King Leopold II.

C. Colonial Period (1908 – June 29, 1960)

The colonial era began in 1908 when the Congo Free State was annexed by Belgium, becoming the Belgian Congo. This period lasted until June 30, 1960.

Belgian rule ended due to several external and internal factors. Key events included the participation of the Congolese Force Publique soldiers in the World Wars (1914-18 and 1940-45), increasing literacy rates, the emergence of a Congolese middle class, and the formation of numerous political parties in 1958. Additionally, protests and riots demanding independence erupted in 1959. External influences such as the 1958 Pan-African Conference in Accra and General de Gaulle's Brazzaville speech also played a role.

Economically, the colony saw significant development, with the establishment of both state-owned and private enterprises in transportation, agriculture, and mining. However, the period was also marked by rising unemployment on the eve of independence.

Socially and culturally, two key milestones stand out: the founding of Lovanium University in Leopoldville (now the University of Kinshasa) in 1954, the first university in the Congo and Central Africa, and the establishment of the Official University of Congo in Elisabethville (now the University of Lubumbashi).

Religiously, traditional Christian churches, particularly the Catholic Church and Protestant missions, expanded significantly throughout the Belgian Congo.

Another notable event was the birth of the religious movement of Simon Kimbangu on April 6, 1921, in Nkamba, Bas-Congo Province. By 1959, this movement had evolved into the Church of Christ on Earth by the Prophet Simon Kimbangu (EJCSK).

D. Post-Colonial Period (June 30, 1960 – Present)

This period, beginning with Congo’s independence in 1960, is divided into three sub-periods:

• The First Republic (1960 – 1965)
• The Second Republic (1965 – 1997)
• The Third Republic (1997 – Present)

1. The First Republic

Congo gained independence on June 30, 1960, after four years of nationalist movements. The country, formerly the Belgian Congo, became the Republic of Congo, also known as "Congo-Kinshasa." Joseph Kasa-Vubu became the first President, and Patrice Emery Lumumba was the first Prime Minister.

Shortly after independence, the Katanga province, led by Moïse Tshombe, seceded. Between 1961 and 1965, the country faced multiple crises, including: The assassination of Patrice Lumumba in 1961. United Nations peacekeeping intervention (1961-1963), which ended the Katanga secession. Belgian paratrooper intervention in 1964 to suppress a Lumumbist rebellion.

2. The Second Republic

Several key events shaped this 32-year period:

November 24, 1965: Mobutu Sese Seko seized power through a coup and became President.

1970: The regime became increasingly authoritarian, establishing a one-party system under the Popular Movement of the Revolution (MPR).

1971 The country was renamed Zaire. 1977 – 1978: Mobutu sought assistance from France and Morocco to suppress new rebellions (Kolwezi).

From 1990: Facing increasing and fierce opposition, Mobutu was forced to make some concessions (introduction of multipartyism, establishment of a transitional government), but he refused the complete democratization of institutions.

1994: The political crisis was compounded by the mass influx of Rwandan refugees.

3. The Third Republic

This period began with the end of the Liberation War led by Mzee Laurent-Désiré Kabila.

1997: Rebel troops, advancing from east to west, took control of the country and forced Mobutu to relinquish power.

17th of May 1997: Laurent-Désiré Kabila took power and renamed Zaire the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

2nd of August 1998: Start of the aggression against the Democratic Republic of the Congo by Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi.

16th of January 2001: Assassinat de Laurent Désiré Kabila.

26th of January 2001: Joseph Kabila Kabange assumed the Supreme Magistracy, becoming President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

2nd of April 2003: The Inter-Congolese Dialogue was a meeting of the actors in the political crisis resulting from the war that had torn apart the DRC since 1998. It was a realization of one of the key points of the ceasefire agreement signed in Lusaka, Zambia, on July 10-11, 1999, between the governments of the DRC, Uganda, and Rwanda, and signed in August of the same year by the Congolese rebel groups supported by these two countries.

By adopting the Final Act, the DIC participants accepted as binding the instruments listed below, agreed upon at the end of the political negotiations, which were to govern the transition in the DRC.

It is about:

• Thirty-six resolutions on the Government Action Program, duly adopted by the DIC plenary.
• The Global and Inclusive Agreement on the Transition in the DRC, as well as the additional memorandum on the army and security, signed on December 17, 2002, and March 6, 2003, in Pretoria, and endorsed in Sun City on April 1, 2003.
• The Transition Constitution, adopted in Sun City, South Africa, on April 1, 2003.

4th of April 2003: Promulgation of the Transition Constitution by President Joseph Kabila.

7th of April 2003: Joseph Kabila was sworn in as President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the transition period.

18th of December 2005: Referendum on the new Constitution. Voter turnout: 84.31%.

18th of February 2006: Promulgation of the Constitution of the Third Republic.

31th of July 2006: First round of the first universal suffrage presidential and legislative elections.

29th of October 2006: Second round of the presidential elections by universal suffrage.

15th of November 2006: The Independent Electoral Commission declared Joseph Kabila Kabange elected by absolute majority as the first President of the Third Republic.

6th of December 2006: Joseph Kabila Kabange was sworn in as President.

29th of October 2006: Inauguration of Parliament.

29th of October 2006: Inauguration of the Senate.

29th of October 2006: Inauguration of the Lower House.

4. Election of Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo

At the end of the presidential and legislative elections of December 30, 2018, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, son of the former Prime Minister of the Transition and President of the UDPS (Union for Democracy and Social Progress), Étienne Tshisekedi wa Mulumba, was elected and became the 5th President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This election marked, for the first time in the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the peaceful transition of power to a new Head of State.