Premise: Democratic Republic of the Congo . The territory of the DR Congo was first settled by humans around 90,000 years ago . Leopold formally acquired rights to the Congo territory at the Conference of Berlin in 1885 and made the land his private property . During the Free State the colonial military unit , the Force Publique , forced the local population into producing rubber , and from 1885 to 1908 millions of Congolese died as a consequence of disease and exploitation . In 1908 Belgium , despite initial reluctance , formally annexed the Free State from Leopold , which became the Belgian Congo . The Belgian Congo achieved independence on 30 June 1960 under the name Republic of the Congo ( Léopoldville ) .
Hypothesis: The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been independent since it was settled.
Label: CONTRADICTION