France, March 29 -- Since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960, the Democratic Republic of Congo has seen recurrent armed conflict, political tensions, regional power struggles and battles over its natural resources. RFI takes a look at the pivotal moments in the country's history and their connections with today's events.

July 1960: Mutiny of the Force Publique and Belgian intervention

The political and military crisis that erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in July 1960, in the first month of its independence from former colonial power Belgium, had its origins in frustrations over the composition of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba's government.

Two major political figures, Albert Kalonji, from the Kasai region in t...