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Discovered by Diogo Cao of Portugal.
Portuguese people create ties between the king of Kongo. -
Slave trade continues throughout the seventeenth century between Britain, Portugal, and France
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King Leopold II of Belgium declares Congo as a free state that will be headed by him.
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The Belgians conquer Katanga, the southern portion of the Congo.
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Belgian annexes the Congo during protests concerning killings carried out by Leopold's army on a large scale.
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A "30 Year Plan" is created to promote self controlled government in the Congo by Antion van Bilsen.
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Nationalist riots in Leopoldville cause Belgian to increasingly lose control over Congo.
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Congo is independent from Belgium. Patrice Lumumba is elected Prime Minister and Joseph Kasavubu is elected as the president.
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Belgian troops are sent into Congo to protect their Belgian residents and protect their mining expenditures. United Nation troops are also sent in to maintain order in the Congo.
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Lumumba is murdered supposedly with US and Belgian support.
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Tshombe, who declared Katanga independent, now declares an end to the Katanga secession.
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Mobutu renames Congo as Zaire. He also renames specific areas such as Katanga and the Congo River
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Mobutu forces European investors out of Zaire
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Belgian and Morcannon troops stop an attack on Katanga by Angolan rebels.
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this happens without much success
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Zaire fails to pay back loans from Belgium which causes the cessation of development programs
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Mobutu allows a transitional government with multiparties but remains the dominate power of Zaire
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Riots occur in Kinshasa forcing Mobutu to align himself with opposing leaders to maintain peace. However Mobutu remains in control over all important ministries.
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Dondo wants free-market reforms for Zaire
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Tutsi rebels capture Kinshasa
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Rwanda and Uganda rebels take over the eastern side of the Democratic Republic of Congo
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This peace treaty is signed in order to create a cease fire between the six countries involved in the war between Congo.
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UN soldiers are sent into Congo to monitor the cease fire. However violence still continues between Uganda-Rwanda rebels and the government forces.
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Joseph Kabila takes over after his father, Laurent-Desire Kabila, is killed.
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Rwanda and Uganda agree to remove troops from the frontline after the three countries agree to a plan to pull out UN soldiers.
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Both presidents sign a peace agreement in which Rwanda soldiers are to leave Congo
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A peace agreement is signed in which it states that Ugandan soldiers will be removed from Congo.
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Court Justice rules that Uganda must pay for the resources it took from Congo in the five years up to 2003.
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Kabila wins from the October election
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A major army base is captured by rebel forces.
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Eight billion dollar relief is approved by the World Bank
