The Congo Civil War, or Congo Crisis, was a complex political tumult that began just days following Belgium’s granting of Congolese independence in 1960. Lasting four years, the associated violence claimed an estimated 100,000 lives including the nation’s first Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba, and UN Secretary Dag Hammarskjöld, who was killed in a plane crash as he attempted to mediate the crisis. Escalating with the secession of the southernmost province of Katanga, the conflict concluded five years later with a united Congo emerging under the dictatorship of Joseph-Désiré Mobutu.
On June 30, 1960, Belgium negotiated post-colonial mining rights in declaring an independent Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Yet within days, soldiers of the Congolese army mutinied, demanding increased pay and the removal of white officers from their ranks. When Belgium intervened militarily, more soldiers rebelled. Many of these soldiers gravitated toward the radical nationalist Prime Minister Patrice Emery Lumumba.
Then, dominated by Belgian business interests, the mineral-rich Katanga province under the leadership of Moïse Kapenda Tshombe seceded from the DRC with Belgian support. Congolese President Joseph Kasavubu and Prime Minister Lumumba asked and received a peacekeeping force from the United Nations (UN).
The conflict also became the site of a dangerous Cold War “proxy” contest between western powers led by the United States and the Soviet Union-led Communist bloc. Under pressure from western nations and in exchange for UN support, President Kasavubu purged his government of radical elements including Prime Minister Lumumba. The ultra-nationalist Lumumba, though supported by the Congolese, was viewed by Western business leaders as an obstacle to their continued investments in Congolese diamond mines. Fearing Lumumba was secretly a Communist, the United States was particularly adamant about his removal from power.
Lumumba responded by firing Kasavubu as both leaders claimed control over the country, and Army Chief of Staff Joseph Mobutu in turn orchestrated a military coup d’état which ousted the two leaders. Mobutu’s government was supported by western governments. The Soviet Union and other Communist nations supported Lumumba who ultimately was killed by Katangan rebels.
With his chief rival removed, Mobutu pledged nominal support to President Kasavubu and the two led the successful effort to end the Katanga secession. UN forces eventually recaptured all of Katanga province. In 1964, a new rebellion began in the Eastern Congo when armed fighters (“Simbas”) began to spread across the region. Ironically, Moïse Tshombe, who had led the secessionist Katanga province, was made prime minister with the mandate to defeat these rebels and end other regional revolts. The Simbas were defeated in November 1964.
One year later, Mobutu seized power from President Kasavubu after having persuaded Western leaders that he was the most effective leader in the fight against communism. Kasavubu and Tshombe were exiled as Mobutu set up a one-party dictatorship, controlling the nation until 1997. Nonetheless, for the first time since independence, all of the country was ruled by one government.
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I really think my gf needs therapy for misophonia. She is so incredibly sensitive to even the slightest noise from our neighbors and her sensitivity and her reactions to it are just getting worse over time, not better. Last night our new downstairs neighbor was playing music and I went to talk to him and he was nice and turned it down but instead of that being the end of anything she was still locked up in this anxious trauma response for hours of expecting the noise to start again. Idk what to do about it other than "get a house" but even then that doesn't mean we're not going to have neighbors we can hear
The lawnmower orchestra is a lot more annoying than downstairs music. A house closer to a city core might be better because people are less likely to be doing yard work, but then houses are more packed together so you'd probably start hearing music and conversations more often again.
My misophonia can be so bad I can hear bubbles in a can which is across the room lol. But I hate the lawnmower orchestra too.. It can be exhausting
That sucks for all parties involved. Therapy can help but in the meantime it might be worth it to look into some good quality ear plugs or noice cancelling headphones. I relate to the anxiety that the sound can reappear at any moment, and it’s truly awful. Wearing ear plugs makes me feel a lot safer because it gives reassurance that I won’t hear anything as long as I keep them in so it gives me control of the situation. I now always wear them as soon as any sound triggers my misophonia and it has made my symptoms a lot more manageable. My tolerance became higher because I’m no longer constantly in a state of stress.
Yeah she has headphones on all day already though pretty much
... sf soldiers have these headsets called comtacs and they've got this active noise cancelling where any noises above a certain threshold get chopped down. It's supposed to be so you can talk and hear people when you're in the middle of a firefight. You can hear, and it can even amplify sounds with it's mics, but it'll cut down loud noises.
I think the problem is you can like feel it through the walls if someone stomps too hard, or the infrasound from bass, etc. Like she has noise canceling headphones
I appreciate the suggestion though. Something like that would be really nice because it's annoying for me to have to get her to take her headphones off to say anything, because sometimes i just wanna say something quick and it's annoyin for her to take them off repeatedly
I got loop earplugs for that and it helps tremendously. Even for being able to listen to music without it triggering. I can have bad days where even a slight noise can make me upset like nails down a chalk board. They help a lot
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