Mulkin mallaka na Kogin Kongo

Turawan mulkin mallaka na Kogin Kongo yana nufin mulkin mallaka da Turawa suka yi wa Kongo Basin na Afirka masu zafi. Ya kasance yanki na ƙarshe na nahiyar da aka yi wa mulkin mallaka. A ƙarshen ƙarni na 19, Turawan mulkin mallaka sun sassaka Basin zuwa cikin Jamhuriyar Kwango 'Yanci, Kongo Faransa da Kongo Portuguese (Lardin Cabinda na Angola na zamani).

 Binciken farko na Turai 
Ɗaya bayan ɗaya  an binciko wasu manyan asirai:

 Yankunan bakin teku na Yarima Henry Navigator na jirgin ruwa na Portuguese a ƙarni na 15.
 Blue Nile na James Bruce a cikin shekarar 1773.
 Nisa daga Niger ta Mungo Park a shekarar 1796.
 Ƙasar Sahara ta masu fafatawa Laing, Caillié, da Clapperton a cikin shekarar 1820s.
 ’Yan’uwan Richard da John Lander sun yi fama da zazzaɓi a cikin ƙasan Nijar a shekarar 1830.
 Kudancin Afirka da Zambezi ta Livingstone da John Clafton a cikin shekarar 1850s.
 Babban Nilu ta Burton, Speke, da Baker a cikin jerin balaguro tsakanin shekarun 1857 da 1868.

Ko da yake Kongo ta kasance ɗaya daga cikin na farko da aka yi yunƙurin, ya kasance a asirce.

Tun daga ƙarni na 15, masu binciken Turai sun shiga cikin kogin Congo mai zurfi, suna shirin yin yaƙi da hanyarsu ta hawan faduwan ruwa da rapids waɗanda suka fara kawai mil 100 (160  a cikin ƙasa, sannan su yi tafiya zuwa kogin zuwa asalin da ba a sani ba. Dukkanin sun ƙasa. Rashin ruwa da faduwa, idan sun san shi, sun kai kilomita 220 (kilomita 350) a cikin ƙasa,  filin da ke kusa da kogi ba zai iya wucewa ba, kuma ya kasance haka har zuwa yau.

An kori yunƙurin yin tafiya a kan ƙasa da yawa tare da asarar rayuka, hatsarori, rikice-rikice da ƴan ƙasar, kuma, sama da duka, cututtuka sun ga manyan balaguro da ingantattun kayan balaguron ba su wuce  ko kusa da mafi saurin yamma, almara Cauldron na Jahannama.

 Binciken Stanley 
Sai a shekara ta 1877 ne Turawa suka yi bincike a Kongo, kuma ko a lokacin ba daga teku ba ne, amma daga wani gefen nahiyar Afirka. Da yake tashi daga Zanzibar, Henry Morton Stanley, ɗan jarida ɗan ƙasar Amurka haifaffen Biritaniya kuma mai bincike da nufin nemo sanannen Dr. Livingstone. Ba a taɓa jin labarin Livingstone a cikin shekaru da yawa ba kuma, a gaskiya ma, yana binciken saman babban kogin da ake kira Lualaba, wanda Livingstone ya yi fatan an haɗa shi da Kogin Nilu, amma wanda ya zama babban kogin Kongo. 

Bayan barin Livingstone, Stanley yayi tafiya mai nisan mil 1,000 (1,600 km) saukar da Lualaba (Upper Kongo) zuwa babban tafkin da ya kira Stanley Pool (yanzu ana kiransa Pool Malebo). Sa'an nan, maimakon halaka a cikin kasa da ba za a iya jurewa ba, Stanley ya zagaya kan tudu mai nisa don zuwa tsakanin tashar kasuwancin Turai da ke Boma a kan iyakar Kongo.

 Gabatar da nasara 

 Henry Morton Stanley 
Lokacin da Stanley ya koma Turai a shekarar 1878, ba kawai ya sami Dr. Livingstone (wani al'amari da aka tuna da shi har yau), ya warware babban asiri na ƙarshe na binciken Afirka, kuma ya lalata lafiyarsa: ya kuma buɗe zuciyar Afirka masu zafi har zuwa duniyar waje. Wannan zai zama gadonsa mafi dawwama.Ewans, Martin (2002). European Atrocity, African Catastrophe: Leopold II, the Congo Free State and Its Aftermath. London, Curzon Press, p.27.

Stanley yayi yawo  a duk faɗin Turai. Ya rubuta labarai, ya bayyana a taron jama'a, ya zaburar da masu hannu da shuni ba tare da gajiyawa ba; kuma ko da yaushe takensa shi ne damar da ba ta da iyaka don cin kasuwanci na ƙasashen da ya gano ko kuma a cikin kalmominsa, don "zuba wayewar Turai cikin ɓarnar Afirka".  

"Akwai  mutane tsirara 40,000,000" a ɗaya ɓangaren na rapids, Stanley ya rubuta, "kuma masu yin auduga na Manchester suna jira don su tufatar da su ... Masana'antun Birmingham suna haskakawa da jan karfe wanda za a yi musu aiki na ƙarfe a kowane yanayi da siffar su ...  

Turai ba ta da sha'awar ra'ayin: babban yunƙurin Turai don Afirka bai riga ya fara ba. A waje da Cape of Good Hope da Tekun Bahar Rum, Turai ba ta da wani yanki na Afirka da ke da mahimmanci. Hankalin manyan ƙasashen har yanzu ya tsaya tsayin daka kan ƙasashen da suka yi arzikin Turai: Amurka, Gabashin Indiya, Indiya, Sin, da Australasia. Da alama babu wata ma'ana ta tattalin arziki don saka hannun jari a Afirka lokacin da dawowar daga wasu yankuna na iya zama duka masu wadata da gaggawa. Haka kuma babu wani gagarumin sha'awar jin kai a nahiyar yanzu da aka kashe cinikin bayi na Amurka. An yaba wa Stanley, an yaba masa, an yi masa ado — kuma an yi banza da shi.Henry Morton Stanley (2011). The Congo and the Founding of Its Free State: A Story of Work and Exploration.  Cambridge University Press. p.20.

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