The End of the Red Rubber System in the Congo Free State

Despite Morel’s effort to end the red rubber system, the treaty of cession of the Congo to Belgium drafted in 1907 let the “Crown Domain '' - a vast territory in Congo rich in natural resources, including rubber - into the hands of Leopold II. Thus, the end of the end of the red rubber system was not guaranteed. Thus, Morel organized a meeting of the CRA in London on January 21, 1908, where a petition was signed, urging the British government to put in place a plan of action pressuring the Belgian government to elaborate a treaty of cession that would guarantee the respect of the indigenous rights and the cessation of any violation of human rights committed on them…