In 1908 in order to defuse an international outcry, they annexed the free state of the Congo as a colony. Thus officially making the Belgian Congo. They also annexed Katanga, a free state under the Congo Flag which Leopold gain in 1891, by sending troops to there to kill their king by cutting his head off and putting it on a pole. The Belgian government merged Katanga with the Congo in 1910. The Belgian Congo became independent June 30, 1960.

 Other important information about the Belgian Congo:

      Annexation was achieved to Belgium by the means of the treaty of November 15, 1908, after being approved by the Belgian Parliament in August and by the King in October of the following year. The colony was divided in 15 administrative districts. When Belgium took over the administration from King Leopold II, the situation there improved. The educational system was dominated the  Roman Catholic Church and rarely Protestant Churches.