The nations south of the DRC/Zaire/Belgian Congo were in big trouble. Many wars and civil wars over the years due to the ongoing problems relating to the region's colonial legacy. The main problem was about the issues of communism, apartheid, the fall of the Portuguese empire, Rhodesia under Sir Ian Smith and the fate of White colonial ex-pats\business interests. As a whole, the Portuguese Empire was hated by Africans for it's homicidal attitude. The Pijiguiti Massacre in 1959 saw Portuguese soldiers opened fire on protesting Bissau dockworkers, killing 50.