The Democratic Republic of Congo used to be a Belgian colony.
The Belgian Congo ( Congo Belge , Belgisch-Congo ) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa between 1908 and 1960 in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( DRC ) . Democratic Republic of the Congo . In 1908 Belgium , despite initial reluctance , formally annexed the Free State from Leopold , which became the Belgian Congo . On 14 September , with U.S. and Belgian support , Lumumba was arrested by forces loyal to Army Chief of Staff Joseph-Désiré Mobutu , who had gained de facto control over the country through a coup d'état the same day , and on 17 January 1961 Lumumba was handed over to Katangan authorities and executed by Belgian-led Katangese troops .