I have a few questions about the Congo conflicts in the 1960s.

[KVLG]

Does anyone here know about the conflicts in the Belgian Congo during the 1960s? Was there any American involvement, including mercenaries? What were the sides armed with?

[Sato]

Short answers;

American involvement; Yes

Mercenaries; Yes

Weapons; Mausers ,various semi-automatics, clubs, machetes....


Long answers:



Operation Dragon - Hostage Rescues in the Congo, 1964-1965.

...

In early August 1964, several thousand Simba rebels under the command of Nicholas Olenga stormed the defenses of Stanleyville, a city of 300,000 deep in the heart of the newly independent Republic of the Congo. The victorious rebels promptly took more than 1,600 European residents hostage and announced that any attempt by the Congolese government to recapture the city would precipitate the killing of the Europeans. So began the drama that culminated in the first-and in many ways, the most complex-multinational hostage rescue operation of the cold war.


One hundred and eleven days after Olenga's capture of Stanleyville, in the dawn hours of 24 November 1964 following a strike by CIA-piloted B-26s against Stanleyville Airport, 5 U.S. Air Force C*130s bearing 340 troops of the 1st Battalion, Belgian Paracommando Regiment, staged a combat assault to seize the airport. The airborne assault was planned to coincide with the arrival in Stanleyville of a ground force composed of Belgian and U.S. Army officers, a small CIA element, and a contingent of the Congolese Army. Once Stanleyville was secured, the Belgian paras staged another combat assault on Paulis, several hundred miles away, to rescue still more European hostages.


These operations-Dragon Rouge and Dragon Noir-are the subject of Major Thomas P. Odom' s study, Dragon Operations: Hostage Rescues in the Congo, 1964-1965. Drawing on newly declassified official American and Belgian sources- as well as on personal interviews with commanders and staff officers who planned and executed the operations* Major Odom analyzes and assesses events in the Congo. This Leavenworth Paper provides a valuable insight into the nature and complexities of multi*national contingency operations.



...


http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/car.../odom/odom.asp (http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/odom/odom.asp)

[Rudolph]

..........

[Koen]

Does anyone here know about the conflicts in the Belgian Congo during the 1960s? Was there any American involvement, including mercenaries? What were the sides armed with?

I am no real expert on this, but I've read quit a lot of (belgian) books on this.

Basically it all started at the independence of Congo in 1960, this was ill-prepared and too soon. Congolese had understood that with independence they would get the same life as the whites, so they were very fast very disappointed.
After only a few days important units of the army/police started a mutiny when they found out that the belgian/white officers would remain, this sparked plundering all over the country.
When the congolese could not end this riotting, belgium reacted in the "Belgium-Congo defense treaty" and sent some 10 000 soldiers to restore order.

The UN cried out shame and neo-colonialism, and the security council sent blue helmets to replace the belgian soldiers.

But the events unfolded fast, and a belgian assisted campaign had Katange/Shaba split from Congo, this was cause to a conflict with the congolese state off course. Allthough never publically admitted, Belgium and its big companies in congo tried to preserve the most interesting part of the congo like this.

All this in the thick of the cold war meant that inevitably this conflict got dragged in as well.. with Che supporting the Simba's and Mobutu appearing to be our "our man" to keep communism out of Congo.

The american involvment was first of all anti-colonial, and later on a reaction to the perceived threat of communism taking over the congo.

The CIA was active in Congo, but no american troops.
The USAF helped belgian intervention in '64 with C-130's, and had also sponsored B-26's with Cuban pilots. The mercenaries were mainly european or white-africans.

[KVLG]

I am no real expert on this, but I've read quit a lot of (belgian) books on this.

Basically it all started at the independence of Congo in 1960, this was ill-prepared and too soon. Congolese had understood that with independence they would get the same life as the whites, so they were very fast very disappointed.
After only a few days important units of the army/police started a mutiny when they found out that the belgian/white officers would remain, this sparked plundering all over the country.
When the congolese could not end this riotting, belgium reacted in the "Belgium-Congo defense treaty" and sent some 10 000 soldiers to restore order.

The UN cried out shame and neo-colonialism, and the security council sent blue helmets to replace the belgian soldiers.

But the events unfolded fast, and a belgian assisted campaign had Katange/Shaba split from Congo, this was cause to a conflict with the congolese state off course. Allthough never publically admitted, Belgium and its big companies in congo tried to preserve the most interesting part of the congo like this.

All this in the thick of the cold war meant that inevitably this conflict got dragged in as well.. with Che supporting the Simba's and Mobutu appearing to be our "our man" to keep communism out of Congo.

The american involvment was first of all anti-colonial, and later on a reaction to the perceived threat of communism taking over the congo.

The CIA was active in Congo, but no american troops.
The USAF helped belgian intervention in '64 with C-130's, and had also sponsored B-26's with Cuban pilots. The mercenaries were mainly european or white-africans.

Didn't the SImbas receive ComBloc support?

[Koen]

The first prime minister of Congo was Mr Lumumba. He gave an unexpected harsh speech during the independance formalities in presence of the belgian king and government. When the army mutined because the belgian officers remained in office, he replaced the belgian officers by congolese, who had not had the optimal instruction for this (to say it prudent). This caused unrest among the belgians in Congo who began to leave, causing the administrations to crash...
As a result belgian troops were flown in to restore public order and protect belgian nationals. This was condemned to be "neo-colonialism", and the UN0 sent blue helmets to replace the Belgians.
Once these were on scene, the rich Shaba/Katanga southern region declared independence, supported & organised (??) by interested parties. The UN force could not deal with this situation, and Mr Lumumba considered accepting a soviet proposal for support to the Congo.
Hence the US perceived this Mr Lumumba as a communist, and wanted to prevent him from seeking assistance in the USSR.

The CIA arranged for him to eliminated from power, with help from the belgians (this has been admitted since in a parliamentary research commision), he was arrested and Mr Kasa-Vubu became the new prime minister, but there was a lot of confusion, till Colonel Mobutu took charge of Lumumba's arrest and ended the confusion.
Lumumba was later send to Katanga, and was executed there.

It was quite a mess with the UN involved, so off course in those days that meant the superpowers got interested & involved.

Both the Simba's (in the east of Congo) & later the "Gendarmes Katangais" received communist help. Che Guevara even came to Congo to fight for the good cause.

[wilson1]

They killed to earn their living and to help out the Congolese.....Roland...

Sorry..first thing I thought of while reading...

[California Joe]

You rat bastard, how dare you quote Warren Zevon 3 minutes before I was going to.






:)

[wilson1]

, just saw the line in your avatar!

[KVLG]

The first prime minister of Congo was Mr Lumumba. He gave an unexpected harsh speech during the independance formalities in presence of the belgian king and government. When the army mutined because the belgian officers remained in office, he replaced the belgian officers by congolese, who had not had the optimal instruction for this (to say it prudent). This caused unrest among the belgians in Congo who began to leave, causing the administrations to crash...
As a result belgian troops were flown in to restore public order and protect belgian nationals. This was condemned to be "neo-colonialism", and the UN0 sent blue helmets to replace the Belgians.
Once these were on scene, the rich Shaba/Katanga southern region declared independence, supported & organised (??) by interested parties. The UN force could not deal with this situation, and Mr Lumumba considered accepting a soviet proposal for support to the Congo.
Hence the US perceived this Mr Lumumba as a communist, and wanted to prevent him from seeking assistance in the USSR.

The CIA arranged for him to eliminated from power, with help from the belgians (this has been admitted since in a parliamentary research commision), he was arrested and Mr Kasa-Vubu became the new prime minister, but there was a lot of confusion, till Colonel Mobutu took charge of Lumumba's arrest and ended the confusion.
Lumumba was later send to Katanga, and was executed there.

It was quite a mess with the UN involved, so off course in those days that meant the superpowers got interested & involved.

Both the Simba's (in the east of Congo) & later the "Gendarmes Katangais" received communist help. Che Guevara even came to Congo to fight for the good cause.

So the Simbas and the Katangais receive Eastern Bloc weapons and equipment?