The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a former Belgian colony in Africa.
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 . The Belgian Congo achieved independence on 30 June 1960 under the name Republic of the Congo ( Léopoldville ) .