The 1900 Force Publique March on the Aruwimi: Belgium's Ivory War

In this episode of The History of Belgium, we travel back to 1900—a pivotal year in the Congo Free State's brutal ivory rush. Lucas and Luna uncover the story of a Force Publique expedition into the Aruwimi River basin, ordered by Leopold II's Governor General Théophile Wahis. The mission: crush local resistance and secure a steady flow of ivory to fund the king's building projects in Brussels. But the Aruwimi campaign was no simple military affair. We meet two key figures: the Anglo-Belgian trader John Henry Harris, who later became a whistleblower, and the Mangbetu chief Okondo, who led a fierce guerrilla war against the colonial column. The episode digs into the logistics of forced porterage—how thousands of Congolese men were conscripted to carry ivory tusks hundreds of miles—and the brutal 'pacification' tactics that left entire villages burned. We also explore the forgotten role of the Zanzibari slave traders who allied with Belgian officers, and the dark irony of ivory ending up in Brussels museums as 'art.' This is a story of greed, resistance, and the commodities that shaped Belgium's colonial identity. #ForcePublique #Aruwimi #Ivory #CongoFreeState #LeopoldII #ThéophileWahis #JohnHenryHarris #Okondo #Mangbetu #Porterage #ColonialRepression #1900 #BelgianColonialHistory #Congo #CentralAfrica #History #FexingoHistory #BrusselsIvory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo