What does the combination of mineral resources and external intervention in the Congo Crisis show?

Correct answer: Resource based challenge to postcolonial sovereignty

The direct answer is A: mineral wealth created a resource-based challenge to postcolonial sovereignty. Congo became independent with valuable minerals, but control over mines, revenue and political decisions involved domestic actors, former colonial interests and outside powers. Step by step: minerals promised state income; competing groups wanted control of that income; foreign companies and governments had strategic interests; political conflict and intervention weakened the new state’s ability to decide independently. A is correct because it links resources, external intervention and the difficulty of building sovereign institutions. B is wrong because Congo was known for abundant mineral resources, not their absence. C is wrong because the crisis involved serious instability. D is wrong because Belgium’s colonial history was central to the background. Memory cue: in decolonization, ask who controls resources and who influences the state.