The Belgian Congo's Rubber Terror: The Kasai-Velu Campaign of 1904

The History of Belgium: A Small Country with a Giant Colonial Legacy — Fexingo History · May 1, 2026 · 7m · transcript

This episode dives into the Kasai-Velu Campaign of 1904, a brutal but lesser-known chapter of Belgium's colonial atrocities in the Congo. Lucas and Luna explore the violent extortion of rubber from the Kasai region, the role of the Force Publique under Commandant Charles Liebrechts, and the shocking testimony of Swedish missionary E.V. Sjöblom. The episode examines how the campaign's methods—hostage-taking, village burning, and mutilation—mirrored the better-known horrors of the Équateur District, but remained hidden for years. The conversation also touches on the controversial…