On this day, 118 years ago, on November 27, 1907 (October 22, 1907 lunar calendar), the treaty ceding the Congo to Belgium was signed. On November 27, 1907, the treaty ceding the Congo to Belgium was signed. On the evening of November 27, 1907, copies of the treaty concerning the transfer of the Congo from the King to the Belgian government were distributed to the members of the Belgian Parliament. After review, it was signed by Prime Minister Trotz. The transfer of the Congo from the rule of King Leopold II to the Belgian government will be written into law. This action was followed by world opinion criticizing the king for tolerating the abuse of local Congolese. Various accounts circulated that the king's ownership of the area was recognized by the Berlin Consulate in 1884, and that he ignored the indigenous Africans and treated them as a cheap source of labor. Under the terms of this treaty, the official transfer of this African land was to take effect on January 1, 1908. A 17-member colonial commission was appointed to investigate the resources of the Congolese territory. Among them are known diamonds, gold, copper, iron ore, rubber and silver.