Claim: The Democratic Republic of the Congo was once a former 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-.
Their ambivalence resulted in Leopold 's creating a colony on his own account.
Belgian rule in the Congo was based on the `` colonial trinity '' -LRB- trinité coloniale -RRB- of state , missionary and private company interests.