The Congo's tumultuous post-colonial history is marked by decades of internal conflict and external intervention. From the 1970s, Mobutu's dictatorship was punctuated by rebellions that necessitated foreign paratrooper deployments to protect European lives. The mid-1990s saw the country descend into a vast conflict, drawing in numerous neighboring nations and becoming a theater for resource exploitation. The major hostilities may have paused in 2002, but the underlying tensions and the allure of the Congo's wealth continue to fuel sporadic violence.

This volume offers a detailed account of the protracted conflicts that plagued the Congo for over four decades. The narrative focuses on the period from 1960 to 2002, highlighting key events such as Mobutu's dictatorship, foreign interventions, and the devastating regional war of the late 1990s. The book's scope is comprehensive, covering the complex interplay of internal strife and external involvement driven by the nation's resource wealth. Its inclusion of commissioned artwork and photographs aims to provide a visually rich and informative historical record.