Claim: The Democratic Republic of Congo used to be a Belgian colony.
Evidence: In 1908 Belgium , despite initial reluctance , formally annexed the Free State from Leopold , which became the Belgian Congo.
The Belgian Congo -LRB- Congo Belge , Belgisch-Congo -RRB- was a Belgian colony in Central Africa between 1908 and 1960 in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo -LRB- DRC -RRB-.