it's one of the biggest cliches, I know. but what are some NON-BELGIAN alternatives for the Congo, that are at least somewhat plausible?
the territory doesn't have to go as one piece, it can be divided up if you want.
plausibility is key, what do you think?
One alternative that's even more plausible than OTL is most of Congo being chewed up by bordering colonial powers, and the Dutch or maybe Spain or Portugal getting Congo itself. Of those, Portugal is the most plausible, IMO.
At the very least, France would grab some of the northern bits to augment French Central Africa.
Portugal would grab the south, to connect Cabinda with the rest of Angola.
Might Britain and Germany not grab some bits to augment their adjacent African colonies?
IIRC, Egypt had control of a small peice of the Congo at one point...