We speak here about Leopold II
who according to the book, allegedly killed 10 million peoples, on a population estimated 20 million
With a "expeditianory" forces of,what, 200 men, in a country half the size of US, with no town, no road, no airfield . only one short line of railway, build at he very beginning along the Congo river . Period beween 1885 - 1908
No truck, no planes, almost no boats, on foot with handgun using still paperbullets, wih all the unknown sicknesses ; malaria, bilariose, tse-tse ..., in a country covered mainly by tropical forest, at least in the region he entered first .
More : the expeditionary force was mainly used to fight slavery from the Arab
The congolese soldier had to proof the use of their bullets, and, brought back cuted hands as proof ( ring a bell somewhere : scalps )
The people used by Leopold were coming form 10 differents countries and the "enrepreneurs" took workers by force, those same workers, in a country living mainly of hunting, could not feed their family .
There was never a hunt for killing the Congolese but a need for exploited workers by private companies who were doing what they wanted without control . Mainly rubbertrees .
There was an independant multi countries inquiry runed in 1904-1905, they pointed the lack of control on the colonialist
They questioned 100eds of peoples including some hand mutilated ( those for robbery "allegation")
After those reports, Leopold II was pushed to give away the Congo to the Belgian state
There is nothing to be proud in the "colonisation" of Congo .
Now the Storme figure :
