The republic of Congo was often used by the Belgians and French to evacuate civilians when there was a crisis in the-other-Congo/Zaire.

The Belgian/French/Congolese armies often practice together. In fact, only the Congo river seperates Brazzaville from Kinshasa.

This kind of rescue operations were done quite a few times, makes you wonder why those people go back and why the Belgian government keeps investing in such operations since people now know the risks. After such upheavels most of the possesions of foreign people are plundered and sometimes their houses were burned down.

The Republic of Congo lies in West Central Africa, bordered by Cameroon and the Central African Republic on the north, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the east and southeast, Angola on the south, and Gabon on the west. The country has a population of approximately 3.26 million (2002) and over a third of its population lives in the capital, Brazzaville. In addition to the federal district of Brazzaville, Congo is divided into nine administrative regions: Bouenza, Cuvette, Kouilou, Lékoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, and Sangha.

About half of all Congolese live in urban areas and the overall population density of the country is low. Fifteen major ethnic groups call the Congo Republic home, including the Kongo who make up 48% of the population (2001) and are Bantu-speaking. French is the country's official language due to the country's colonial past, but many other African languages are spoken, the most prevalent of which are Lingala and Kikongo. The Congolese primarily practice traditional religions and Christianity, though there is a small Muslim minority.

Early History

Human habitation came relatively late in the Congo basin and only at the end of the first millennium did agriculture emerge adjacent to the lower Congo River. The early inhabitants were primarily farmer-trappers, fishing peoples, and Pygmy hunters, whose mobility made possible a common social environment as evidenced by the closely releated Bantu languages of the region. Larger scale societies emerged between 1000 and 1500 AD, ultimately leading to the rise of three major kingdoms: Loango, at the mouth of the Kouilou River on the Atlantic coast; Kongo, in the far southwest; and Tio, on the plains north of Malebo Pool.

Colonial History

The Portuguese landed in 1483. Initially, relations were good between the Kongolese and the Portuguese, characterized by the exchange of representatives and students, but the Portuguese need for slaves undermined this arrangement in the 1530s. The slave trade continued to expand up until the 19th century.

In 1880, France acquired jurisdiction over the Congo when Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza signed a treaty with the Tio ruler. Formal proclamation of the French Congo came in 1891, and the colony was joined with neighbouring French colonies to form the federation of French Equatorial Africa in 1910, with its capital in Brazzaville. The Congolese were treated ruthlessly under the French. Construction of the Congo-Ocean Railway from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville, for example, cost between 15,000 and 20,000 Congolese lives. Forced labour, head taxes, compulsory production of cash crops, and other abuses led to a revolt in 1928 that was put down.

During World War II, Congo rallied to the Free French Forces, which led Charles de Gaulle to grant it a territorial assembly and representation in the French parliament in 1946. Congo later opted for autonomy within the French Community in the French constitutional referendum of 1958.

Post-Colonial History

The Republic of Congo finally achieved full independence on August 15, 1960 with two major parties: the African Socialist Movement (MSA) and the Democratic Union for the Defence of African Interests (UDDIA). The two parties pitted north against south and had quite different political philosophies. The MSA favoured a powerful state and a partially socialized economy; the UDDIA favoured private ownership and close ties with France. Fulbert Youlou of the UDDIA formed the first parliamentary government in 1958 and became both the premier and president a year later.

Following accusations of corruption, general strikes, and lack of French support, Youlou was forced to resign in 1963 and was succeeded by Alphonse Massamba-Débat. Débat then proceeded to found the Marxist-Leninist National Revolutionary Movement (MNR), added "People's Republic" to the Congo's official name, and sought assistance from the Soviet Union and China. During this time, Congo offered asylum to Patrice Lumumba followers fleeing from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (named Zaire in 1971 by dictator Mobutu Sese Seko).

Eventually tensions between the government and the army grew, and army commander Marien Ngouabi seized power in 1968. He created his own Marxist-Leninist party, the Congolese Workers Party (PCT), and generally followed the socialist policies of his predecessor. Ngouabi was assassinated in 1977 after failing to contain the growth of the popular opposition movement and former President Massamba-Débat was executed for his involvement. Ngouabi's successor, Joachim Yhombi-Opango, was no more successful and was ousted from the PCT in 1979 amid accusations of embezzlement. Colonel Denis Sassou-Nguesso, representing the more militant wing of the PCT, was appointed head of state.

Sassou-Nguesso proved to be more politically neutral in terms of international affairs and managed to improve relations with France and the West. The regime's language became more moderate, but its inefficient state enterprises created by earlier socialist policies remained, subsidized by petroleum production. A drop in oil prices led to economic crisis in the early 1980s and Congo's external debt exceeded $1.5 billion USD in 1985. Nonetheless, the PCT-appointed congress re-elected Sassou-Nguesso for a third five-year term in 1989.

A new constitution was drafted in 1991 that removed "People's" from the Congo's official name and established multiparty rule. It was approved in a referendum held the following year and Pascal Lissouba won the first democratic presidential election. However, brutal fighting broke out following the disputed parliamentary elections of 1993 between pro-government forces and the opposition. Full-scale civil war broke out in June 1997 and the presidential election scheduled for July was cancelled. By October, Sassou-Nguesso, aided by Angolan troops, managed to capture Brazzaville and was reinstated as president.

A new constitution was once again adopted in September 2001 that consolidated presidential powers and it was approved by voters in January 2002. In March, Sassou-Nguesso won yet another presidential term unopposed after his main rivals were barred from the election. This, understandably, led to the formation of a rebellion movement, which is still taking action as of this writing.