The interest of Kenya and it's recent concern to help in ending the internal wars in Congo is not an easy task.
If you have ever watched the movie The Siege of Jadotville, then you know about one of the defining moments in the war for Katanga. Now simply known as the Katanga Province, Katanga was a short-lived state in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was established in July 1960 in an area rich in copper, gold, and uranium. Its motto was “Force, espoir et Paix dans la Prosperite” (“Power, Hope and Peace in Prosperity”). Its official currency was the Katanganese Franc, and it had support from Belgian troops and business interests. Katanga also had a Belgian-trained army and air force that stood its ground for two years.
Katanga’s leader was Moise Tshombe, who claimed that the new Congolese state was chaotic and that Patrice Lumumba was seeking help from communists. Tshombe’s was not the only secessionist movement in Congo at the time. The other was in South Kasai, led by Albert Kalonji. It was inhabited mainly by the Baluba who were opposed to the secession on the Katanga side of the common border. But Katanga was larger and richer, and was demanding full independence unlike South Kasai that wanted a federated union.
Tshombe demanded official recognition of the new state from the UN, which instead responded by sending assistance to Patrice Lumumba. The region was crucial to the unified Congo because it was rich in minerals, and at the time accounted for half of the country’s revenues. A failed excursion by the disorganized Congolese army only fomented the resolve of the Katanganese.
A UN-led war escalated in late 1962, resulting in the capture of the capital and the resulting siege of Jadotville. Tshombe finally surrendered his last stronghold in late January 1963 and fled. He returned a year later as Prime Minister of the Congo, only to be dismissed in October 1965. He eventually fled again to Spain. He was hijacked in a plane in June 1967 and flown to Algeria where he lived under house arrest until his death in 1969. The conflict of Katanga claimed two prominent lives: Patrice Lumumba, who was executed in Katanga, and UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold, whose plane was shot down in Zambia on his way to negotiate a ceasefire between Katanga and the UN forces.
If you have ever watched the movie The Siege of Jadotville, then you know about one of the defining moments in the war for Katanga. Now simply known as the Katanga Province, Katanga was a short-lived state in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was established in July 1960 in an area rich in copper, gold, and uranium. Its motto was “Force, espoir et Paix dans la Prosperite” (“Power, Hope and Peace in Prosperity”). Its official currency was the Katanganese Franc, and it had support from Belgian troops and business interests. Katanga also had a Belgian-trained army and air force that stood its ground for two years.
Katanga’s leader was Moise Tshombe, who claimed that the new Congolese state was chaotic and that Patrice Lumumba was seeking help from communists. Tshombe’s was not the only secessionist movement in Congo at the time. The other was in South Kasai, led by Albert Kalonji. It was inhabited mainly by the Baluba who were opposed to the secession on the Katanga side of the common border. But Katanga was larger and richer, and was demanding full independence unlike South Kasai that wanted a federated union.
Tshombe demanded official recognition of the new state from the UN, which instead responded by sending assistance to Patrice Lumumba. The region was crucial to the unified Congo because it was rich in minerals, and at the time accounted for half of the country’s revenues. A failed excursion by the disorganized Congolese army only fomented the resolve of the Katanganese.
A UN-led war escalated in late 1962, resulting in the capture of the capital and the resulting siege of Jadotville. Tshombe finally surrendered his last stronghold in late January 1963 and fled. He returned a year later as Prime Minister of the Congo, only to be dismissed in October 1965. He eventually fled again to Spain. He was hijacked in a plane in June 1967 and flown to Algeria where he lived under house arrest until his death in 1969. The conflict of Katanga claimed two prominent lives: Patrice Lumumba, who was executed in Katanga, and UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold, whose plane was shot down in Zambia on his way to negotiate a ceasefire between Katanga and the UN forces.
