Why were the hands of Congolese people cut off by Belgian forces in the Congo? Answer:

The cutting off of hands by Belgian forces in the Congo occurred during the Congo Free State (1885-1908), not by Belgian forces per se but under the rule of King Leopold II. This brutality was part of a coercive system to enforce rubber extraction quotas. The hands were often severed as a form of punishment or to prove that bullets, which were in short supply, had been used effectively. The atrocities in the Congo under King Leopold II were widely condemned, leading to international outrage and ultimately the annexation of the territory by Belgium in 1908.