Compléter LEOPOLD II OF BELGIUMVersion en ligne A brief description of the brutal colonisation of Leopold II in the Congo. par Alfonso Poza 1 infrastructure slave philanthropic million Despite mutilated Congolese smallpox rubber disease Leopold pledged to suppress the east African trade ; promote humanitarian policies ; guarantee free trade within the colony ; impose no import duties for twenty years ; and encourage and scientific enterprises . publicizing his humanitarian work , nearly all projects ( such as railroads , roads and ports ) were aimed at making easier to increase the assets Leopold and his associates could extract from the colony . From 1885 ? 1908 , millions of died as a consequence of exploitation and . Natives were forced to produce ivory and . Leopold's army ( Force Publique ) or killed any Congolese who didn't produce enough of these profitable resources . Due to this brutality and diseases such as , the native population declined by approximately eight to ten people .