What led to conflict in the congo free state? the british went to war with the boers over copper mines in the interior of the congo, leading to concentration camps. congolese citizens refused to give up their land rights, leading to the zulu wars that forced the french to flee the continent. africans were forced into brutal labor by belgian rulers to collect rubber, leading to millions of deaths. brazilian competition for belgium tulips led to the subjugation of congolese natives to corner the market.