 Education was overwhelmingly controlled by Protestant and Catholic missions , which were also responsible for providing limited medical and welfare support to the rural Congolese . Food remained unrationed during the war , with only the sales of tyres and automobiles restricted by the government . One of the consequences of the Congo 's economic mobilisation during the war , particularly for the black population , was significant urbanisation . Just 9 % of the indigenous population lived in cities in 1938 ; by 1950 , the figure stood at close to 20 % . The colonial authorities arrested enemy aliens in the Congo and confiscated their property in 1940 . 
