The Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC is home to various ethnic groups in the same time it is the third largest country on African continent Located on the central of Africa the country shares borders with Tanzania Burundi Rwanda Uganda and Republic of South Sudan to the east Zambia and Angola to the South the central African Republic to the North and the Republic of the Congo to the west Additionally DRC also posses incredible valuable natural resources particularly in eastern provinces of the country It was in 1482 when Congo had its first contact with Europeans after Portuguese discovered the mouth of Congo River Trade relations between the Portuguese and the Kingdom of Congo in fifteenth century involved purchasing slaves in order to provide cheap labour for plantations nearby Portuguese islands and the Americas thereafter Competing with the Arabs by the time of 17th century Portuguese traded 15 000 slaves each year Thus the slave trade became the source of the conflict along with Portuguese efforts to Christianize the Congolese Sonderlund Briggs Najem Roberts 2014 The situation for local populations were even getting worse when Congo s territories were seized as personal possession of King Leopold II of Belgium in 1885 By his campaign to end slave trade and Christianization the King himself called a conference in Brussels in 1876 to deliberate colonization In this case Britain and France that were opposing Portuguese gave their support to the King to establish a free trade zone in the country Leopold himself persuaded European leaders mentioned his ambitions to wipe out the slave trade spread civilization encourage missionaries and establish a free trade zone to all merchants
