Stuff on the Congo Very briefly and leaving out a bunch of stuff, leader of the Congolese independence movement was Patrice Lumumba, who admired Nkrumah's Pan-Africanism but otherwise didn't have much of an ideology beyond wanting independence. However, he strongly denounced the record of Belgian colonial rule, telling King Baudouin at Congo's independence day celebrations, "From today we are no longer your monkeys."
The Belgians and Americans were convinced that Lumumba would allow "communist penetration" in the Congo. Shortly after Congolese independence the Belgians backed a secessionist government in Katanga (the wealthiest part of the Congo.)
Lumumba invited the United Nations to intervene in what he assumed would be putting down an illegal secession in Katanga. Instead UN troops were used by the organization's Secretary-General to "keep the peace," allowing the secession to continue until a time when the government and Katangan secessionists could peacefully work out their differences and reunite (which the secessionists, backed by Belgian troops and mercenaries, had no interest whatsoever in doing.)
Lumumba was infuriated and began seeking Soviet weaponry to put down the secession himself. Meanwhile the CIA conspired to get Lumumba thrown out of office, whereupon he was shipped to Katanga and murdered.
With no more pesky Lumumba (and a Soviet-supported, pro-Lumumba rival Congolese government led by Antoine Gizenga soon to disappear), the West was divided on how to deal with the Katangan secession. The US under JFK determined that the stability of the Congo under a pro-West leadership would be endangered so long as its richest province was in rebellion under a different pro-West administration, so eventually the UN was given the task of putting down the secession by force.
Mobutu, a CIA asset, overthrew the civilian government in 1965 and loyally served American interests in Central Africa from thereon out. He was dependent on the aid of Western countries to stay afloat (e.g. in 1977 and '78 leftist Congolese rebels attacked Zaire from Angolan territory and would have overthrown Mobutu if it hadn't been for Western intervention to beat back the rebellion.)
The USSR was not involved in the Congo obtaining its independence, but as I said it did help out Lumumba once the latter asked for aid.
As for the Congo wars, they're rather complex. After the Rwandan Genocide the new Tutsi government in Rwanda was angry at Hutu refugee camps in Zaire which Rwanda argued were housing the perpetrators of the genocide and preparing armed forces to attack Rwanda. So Rwanda backed the overthrow of Mobutu. However, the new Kabila government was fairly weak and other African states (including Rwanda) backed militias to keep Congolese government control over certain areas weak and obtain control of resources. Kabila didn't like this and worked with other African countries to oust the militias.
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Stuff on the Congo
Very briefly and leaving out a bunch of stuff, leader of the Congolese independence movement was Patrice Lumumba, who admired Nkrumah's Pan-Africanism but otherwise didn't have much of an ideology beyond wanting independence. However, he strongly denounced the record of Belgian colonial rule, telling King Baudouin at Congo's independence day celebrations, "From today we are no longer your monkeys."
The Belgians and Americans were convinced that Lumumba would allow "communist penetration" in the Congo. Shortly after Congolese independence the Belgians backed a secessionist government in Katanga (the wealthiest part of the Congo.)
Lumumba invited the United Nations to intervene in what he assumed would be putting down an illegal secession in Katanga. Instead UN troops were used by the organization's Secretary-General to "keep the peace," allowing the secession to continue until a time when the government and Katangan secessionists could peacefully work out their differences and reunite (which the secessionists, backed by Belgian troops and mercenaries, had no interest whatsoever in doing.)
Lumumba was infuriated and began seeking Soviet weaponry to put down the secession himself. Meanwhile the CIA conspired to get Lumumba thrown out of office, whereupon he was shipped to Katanga and murdered.
With no more pesky Lumumba (and a Soviet-supported, pro-Lumumba rival Congolese government led by Antoine Gizenga soon to disappear), the West was divided on how to deal with the Katangan secession. The US under JFK determined that the stability of the Congo under a pro-West leadership would be endangered so long as its richest province was in rebellion under a different pro-West administration, so eventually the UN was given the task of putting down the secession by force.
Mobutu, a CIA asset, overthrew the civilian government in 1965 and loyally served American interests in Central Africa from thereon out. He was dependent on the aid of Western countries to stay afloat (e.g. in 1977 and '78 leftist Congolese rebels attacked Zaire from Angolan territory and would have overthrown Mobutu if it hadn't been for Western intervention to beat back the rebellion.)
The USSR was not involved in the Congo obtaining its independence, but as I said it did help out Lumumba once the latter asked for aid.
As for the Congo wars, they're rather complex. After the Rwandan Genocide the new Tutsi government in Rwanda was angry at Hutu refugee camps in Zaire which Rwanda argued were housing the perpetrators of the genocide and preparing armed forces to attack Rwanda. So Rwanda backed the overthrow of Mobutu. However, the new Kabila government was fairly weak and other African states (including Rwanda) backed militias to keep Congolese government control over certain areas weak and obtain control of resources. Kabila didn't like this and worked with other African countries to oust the militias.