Misplaced Pages

#437562

95-717: The current Congolese army has its origins in the Force Publique that was active in the Belgian Congo , which was renamed the Congolese National Army ( Armée nationale congolaise , ANC) when the country gained independence from Belgium in 1960. During the regime of Mobutu Sese Seko , it was renamed the Armed Forces of Zaire ( Forces Armées Zaïroises , FAZ) in 1971 with the country's name change from Congo to Zaire. Under Mobutu's leadership

190-445: A Belgian Army paratroop drop. This violence immediately led to a military intervention into Congo by Belgium in an ostensible effort to secure the safety of its citizens (the earlier Luluabourg intervention had been against orders). The re-entry of these forces was a clear violation of the national sovereignty of the new nation, as it had not requested Belgian assistance. Soon afterwards, after an extraordinary meeting of ministers of

285-548: A FARDC light infantry battalion at Camp Base, Kisangani , in February 2010. The unit of 750 Congolese soldiers would become known as the 391st Commando Battalion. The company was supervised by U.S. Special Operations Command Africa . The battalion was trained in small unit tactics, communications, medical care, and food production to sustain itself. However, in 2013, during the M23 rebel advance in eastern Congo, several members of

380-484: A colonel whose headquarters was at Stanleyville , grouped F.P. units in Kivu and Orientale Province (PO). It comprised 3 infantry battalions (each of approximately 800 men), seemingly including 6 Battalions at Watsa (under Lieutenant Colonel Merckx in 1960), 2 battalions of Gendarmerie (each of approximately 860 men), a reconnaissance squadron (jeeps, trucks and armoured M8 Greyhound vehicles – approximately 300 men),

475-628: A cyclist company and a battalion headquarters. Lastly, there was the Compagnie d'Artillerie et de Génie (Artillery and Engineers Company) manning Fort de Shinkakasa at the mouth of the Congo River in Boma . The fort contained eight 160mm guns manned by 200 men, plus an equal-sized auxiliary force, which saw little or no service during the war. In 1914, the Force Publique , including

570-640: A joint Congolese-Rwandan force. The force was part of a joint Congolese-Rwandan operation which was launched to hunt Rwandan Hutu militiamen operating in DR Congo. Nkunda is currently being held at an undisclosed location in Rwanda. A Rwandan military spokesman has claimed, however, that Nkunda is being held at Gisenyi , a city in Rubavu district in the Western Province of Rwanda. On 26 March 2010,

665-629: A large scale offensive on German East Africa. The allied powers , the British Empire and Belgium, launched a coordinated attack on the German colony; by 1916 the Belgian commander of the Force Publique , Lieutenant-General Charles Tombeur , had assembled an army of 15,000 men supported by local bearers and advanced to Kigali . Kigali was taken by 6 May 1916. The German army stationed in Urundi

760-709: A massacre of civilians perpetrated by Ntaganda's forces. Nkunda was arrested on 22 January 2009 after he had crossed into Rwanda. After unsuccessfully attempting to defeat the CNDP militarily, Congolese president Kabila made a deal with President Kagame of Rwanda to allow Rwandan soldiers into the DRC to uproot FDLR militants in exchange for Rwanda removing Nkunda. Rwandan officials have yet to say if he will be handed over to DR Congo, which has issued an international warrant for his arrest. A military spokesperson said he had been seized after sending three battalions to repel an advance by

855-674: A not-publicly known number of non-integrated brigades which remain solely made up from single factions (the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD)'s Armee National Congolaise, the ex-government former Congolese Armed Forces (FAC), the ex-RCD KML , the ex- Movement for the Liberation of Congo , the armed groups of the Ituri conflict (the Mouvement des Révolutionnaires Congolais (MRC), Forces de Résistance Patriotique d'Ituri (FRPI) and

950-721: A pastor and member of the church. At times he has visited the church. During the Rwandan genocide , the former psychology student traveled to Rwanda , joining the Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) who were fighting against the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR), the military of the genocidal Hutu -led government. After the RPF defeated the FAR to become the new government of Rwanda , Nkunda returned to

1045-415: A programme of synergy based on the four pillars of dissuasion, production, reconstruction and excellence. "The Rapid Reaction Force is expected to focus on dissuasion, through a Rapid Reaction Force of 12 battalions, capable of aiding MONUC to secure the east of the country and to realise constitutional missions," Defence Minister Chikez Diemu said. Amid the other difficulties in building new armed forces for

SECTION 10

#1732780017438

1140-408: A small aviation element including 2 De Havilland DH.104 Doves . Between 1945 and 1960, Belgium continued to organise the Force Publique as an entity cut off from the people that it policed, with recruits serving in tribally mixed units and no more than a quarter of each company coming from the province in which they served. Tightly disciplined and drilled, the Force Publique impressed visitors to

1235-409: A small battalion) whereas some battalions may not even have the size of a normal company (over 100 men)." In 2015, three hundred FARDC special forces troops were deployed in northern Katanga to prevent inter-ethnic violence between Mbuti and Bantu locals. See also U.S. State Department, 07KINSHASA452 Congolese Military Proposes Redeployment, Renaming Of Integrated Brigades , 19 April 2007. Like

1330-562: A strength of over 19,000 peacekeepers (including 16,998 military personnel) and has a mission of assisting Congolese authorities maintain security. The UN and foreign military aid missions, the most prominent being EUSEC RD Congo , are attempting to assist the Congolese in rebuilding the armed forces, with major efforts being made in trying to assure regular payment of salaries to armed forces personnel and also in military justice. Retired Canadian Lieutenant General Marc Caron also served for

1425-577: A time as Security Sector Reform advisor to the head of MONUC. Groups of anti-Rwandan government rebels like the FDLR, and other foreign fighters remain inside the DRC. The FDLR which is the greatest concern, was some 6,000 strong, as of July 2007. By late 2010 the FDLR's strength however was estimated at 2,500. The other groups are smaller: the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army , the Ugandan rebel group

1520-552: A transport company, a military police company (approximately 100 men), a heavy mortar platoon, a combat engineer company and a training centre at Lokandu. Vanderstraeten reported the dispositions of the Force Publique in July 1960 as: Total strength of the Force Publique immediately prior to independence was 22,403 Congolese regular soldiers and NCOs, 599 European NCOs, and 444 European officers. The last 15 commanders of

1615-463: Is anticipated to have withdrawn, the creation of a Main Defence Force of three divisions. In February 2008, the current reform plan was described as: "The short term, 2008–2010, will see the setting in place of a Rapid Reaction Force; the medium term, 2008–2015, with a Covering Force; and finally the long term, 2015–2020, with a Principal Defence Force." He added that the reform plan rests on

1710-478: Is not much further information available, and no internet-accessible source details the relationship of the National Service to other armed forces bodies; it is not listed in the constitution. President Kabila, in one of the few comments available, says National Service will provide a gainful activity for street children. Obligatory civil service administered through the armed forces was also proposed under

1805-502: Is paid regularly, but still commits rapes and robberies nearby their bases. In an effort to extend his personal control across the country, then President Joseph Kabila deployed the GR at key airports, ostensibly in preparation for an impending presidential visit. At the end of 2005, there were Guards deployed in Mbandaka , Kindu , Lubumbashi , Bukavu , Kolwezi , staying many months after

1900-496: Is really a Pentecostal Christian. He says that most of his troops have converted. In the 2008 documentary Blood Coltan about the real costs of mobile phones, Nkunda proudly shows a button he wears that reads "Rebels for Christ." He also claims to receive help and guidance from American "Rebels for Christ" who visit the Congo spreading Pentecostal Christianity. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has denied Nkunda's claims of being

1995-578: The Allied Democratic Forces in the remote area of Mt Rwenzori , and the Burundian Parti pour la Libération du Peuple Hutu— Forces Nationales de Liberation (PALIPEHUTU-FNL). Finally there is a government paramilitary force, created in 1997 under President Laurent Kabila. The National Service is tasked with providing the army with food and with training the youth in a range of reconstruction and developmental activities. There

SECTION 20

#1732780017438

2090-603: The Belgian Congo with its smart appearance, but a culture of separateness, encouraged by its Belgian officers, led to brutal and unrestrained behaviour when the external restraints of colonial administration were lifted in 1960. The infamous chicote was abolished in only 1955. The Belgian Government made no effort to train Congolese commissioned officers until the very end of the Colonial period, and there were only about 20 African officer cadets at military schools in Belgium on

2185-845: The Congo Free State as his private colony , ordered the Belgian Secretary of the Interior to create a military for the Free State. Soon afterwards, in early 1886, Captain Léon Roger (of the Belgian Army 's Regiment of Carabiniers ) was sent to the Congo with orders to establish the force. A few months later, on 17 August, he was promoted to "Commandant of the Force Publique". A number of other Belgian officers and non-commissioned officers were also dispatched to

2280-640: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and is the former warlord (leader of a rebel faction) operating in the province of North-Kivu , and a officer of the Tutsi-dominated government of neighbouring Rwanda . Nkunda, who is himself a Congolese born Tutsi, commanded the former DRC troops of the 81st and 83rd Brigades of the DRC Army . He speaks English , French , Swahili , Kinyarwanda , Lingala and Kinande . On January 22, 2009, he

2375-723: The FDLR , strains arose between the FARDC and Nkunda-loyalist troops within the brigades and they fell apart in the last days of August 2007. The International Crisis Group says that 'by 30 August [2007] Nkunda's troops had left the mixed brigades and controlled a large part of the Masisi and Rutshuru territories' (of North Kivu ). Both formally integrated brigades and the non-integrated units continue to conduct arbitrary arrests, rapes, robbery, and other crimes and these human rights violations are "regularly" committed by both officers and members of

2470-723: The FP mobile units consisted of 6 battalions of infantry (the V battalion at Stanleyville , the VI battalion at Watsa , the VIII battalion at Luluabourg, the XI battalion at Rumangabo , the XII battalion at Elizabethville , and the XIII battalion at Léopoldville ), 3 reconnaissance units, military police units, a brigade under training at Camp Hardy, still under construction at Thysville , 4 coastal defence guns, and

2565-465: The FP to African soldiers in a mess hall at the main base outside Léopoldville, in which he stated that Independence would not bring any change in their status or role. Lieutenant General Émile Janssens 's intention may only have been to stress the need for continued discipline and obedience to orders, but the impact on the soldiers, unsettled by the demands of maintaining order during Independence celebrations and fearful that they would be excluded from

2660-407: The Force Publique eventually grew to over 600 men each. Their constituent units, known as detachments, were so widely scattered that the force had no real military value. Rather the bulk of these sub-units consisted of small garrisons in fixed locations, with local policing functions. It was intended that each administrative company form a Compagnie Marche of 150 men. Each Marche or field company

2755-608: The Force Publique in the Congo Free State , FARDC brigades have been deploying to their areas of operation with their families in tow. 2nd Commando Battalion of the Belgian Paracommando Brigade trained one of the first integrated brigades from January to June 2004. As of 13 September 2006, the Government had established 13 out of the 18 integrated brigades it had planned to create before the elections. (S/2006/759, 21 September 2006, 12) A fourteenth brigade

2850-491: The Force Publique into two branches. The troupes campées was tasked with guarding the border and protecting the colony from external aggression, while the troupes en service territoriale was responsible for maintaining internal security. Battalions from the latter were assigned to every provincial capital, while companies were stationed at each district headquarters. After Belgium had surrendered to Nazi Germany on 28 May 1940, Governor-General Pierre Ryckmans decided that

2945-413: The Force Publique suffered from institutional problems. During the early years of the force, mutinies of black soldiers occurred several times. By the early 1890s, much of the eastern portion of the Free State was under the control of Arab ivory and slave traders (though the Government was able to re-establish control over the east by the mid-1890s). Organizational problems were also quite prevalent during

Land Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - Misplaced Pages Continue

3040-562: The Force Publique was described as an "exceptionally brutal army". One major purpose of the Force was to enforce the rubber quotas and other forms of forced labour. Armed with modern weapons and the chicote —a bull whip made of hippopotamus hide—soldiers of the FP often took and mistreated hostages. Reports from foreign missionaries and consular officials detail a number of instances where Congolese men and women were flogged or raped by soldiers of

3135-472: The Force Publique were: On 5 July 1960, five days after the country gained independence from Belgium, the Force Publique garrison in Léopoldville mutinied against its white officers (who had remained in complete command) and attacked numerous European and Congolese targets. The immediate incident sparking the mutiny was reported to have been a tactless speech made by the Belgian general commanding

3230-657: The Front Nationaliste Intégrationniste (FNI)) and the Mai-Mai ). It appears that about the same time that Presidential Decree 03/042 of 18 December 2003 established the National Commission for Demobilisation and Reinsertion (CONADER), '..all ex-combatants were officially declared as FARDC soldiers and the then FARDC brigades [were to] rest deployed until the order to leave for brassage. The reform plan adopted in 2005 envisaged

3325-675: The Kivu conflict . In August 2007, the area under Nkunda's control lay north of Lake Kivu in Nord-Kivu in the territories of Masisi and Rutshuru . In this area, Nkunda established his headquarters by building necessary infrastructure and developing institutions of order. He established a political organisation known as the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP). In fighting that began on 27 October 2008, known as

3420-636: The Kivus in the 2005-9 period. In February 2014, Ukraine revealed that it had achieved the first export order for the T-64 tank to the DRC Land Forces for 50 T-64BV-1s. There are currently large numbers of United Nations troops stationed in the DRC. The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) As of 31 August 2011 had

3515-620: The RCD-Goma troops to the Masisi forests in North Kivu, where he raised the flag of rebellion against the government of Joseph Kabila (who had succeeded his father in 2001). Nkunda claimed to be defending the interests of the Tutsi minority in eastern Congo who were subjected to attacks by Hutus who had fled after their involvement with the Rwandan genocide . This war has come to be known as

3610-566: The Second Congo War (1998–2003) and largely collapsed. The peace agreement signed in 2002 initiated the process of uniting former rebel groups in a national army, the Forces du Terrestres of the FARDC, reorganizing them into multiple brigades . Although some progress has been made the army remains hampered by corruption as well as low and infrequent pay, which led to Land Forces troops committing numerous crimes against civilians. Since

3705-526: The Sudan to Cairo . Between 1942 and 1943, an expeditionary force of 13,000 was sent to Nigeria. Nine thousand of these troops served in Egypt and Palestine . They returned to the Belgian Congo at the end of 1944 without having seen active service. The Force Publique also sent the 10th Belgian Congo Casualty Clearing Station to the battle zone. Between 1941 and 1945, some 350 Congolese and 20 Belgians, under

3800-523: The 1890s, the Force Publique defeated the African and Arab slavers in the course of the Congo Arab war (1892–1894), which resulted in tens of thousands of casualties. As time went on, the Force Publique began to increasingly recruit and to rely on Belgian officers and native Congolese soldiers, so that the white and black foreign mercenaries had been mostly phased out by 1908. Under Leopold II

3895-418: The 2008 Nord-Kivu fighting, Nkunda led CNDP rebels who opposed both the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo , FDLR militias, and United Nations forces of the 17,000 UN contingent in the country. It was reported that he was advancing on the city of Goma with the aim of capturing it, with the Congolese army claimed he was receiving aid from Rwanda . The fighting uprooted 200,000 civilians, bringing

Land Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - Misplaced Pages Continue

3990-650: The 391st Commando Battalion were found to have committed mass rape against civilian women fleeing from the warzone, and other atrocities. In addition to the other land forces, there is a Republican Guard presidential force, formerly known as the Special Presidential Security Group (GSSP). FARDC military officials state that the Garde Républicaine is not the responsibility of FARDC, but the Head of State. Apart from Article 140 of

4085-469: The 45-day retraining provided by brassage , and it seems that actually, the process was limited to exchanging battalions between the FAC and Nkunda brigades in North Kivu, without further integration. Due to Nkunda's troops having greater cohesion, Nkunda effectively gained control of all five brigades - not what the DRC central government had been hoping! However, after Nkunda used the mixage brigades to fight

4180-537: The Army's equipment is non-operational due to insufficient maintenance—in 2002 only 20 percent of the Army's armoured vehicles were estimated as being serviceable. In addition to these 2007 figures, In March 2010, it was reported that the DRC's land forces had ordered US$ 80 million worth of military equipment from Ukraine which included 20 T-72 main battle tanks, 100 trucks and various small arms. 20 x T-72 have been reported by World Defence Almanac. Tanks have been used in

4275-632: The Belgian Army), mercenaries and former officers from the armies of other European nations, especially those of Scandinavia, Italy and Switzerland. To these men, service in the Congo Free State offered military experience, adventure and—as they saw it—an opportunity to participate in a humanitarian endeavour. From 1885 to 1908 the officer corps consisted of hundreds of Belgians and dozens of Scandinavians, with smaller numbers recruited from other nations. Serving under these European officers

4370-467: The Belgian base at Kamina . On 23 August they were transferred to Elizabethville , and on 26 August officially turned over to the secessionist State of Katanga . Laurent Nkunda Laurent Nkunda (or Laurent Nkundabatware Mihigo (birth name), or Laurent Nkunda Batware , or as he prefers to be called The Chairman ; born February 2, 1967) is a former General in the Armed Forces of

4465-436: The DRC, in early 2007 the integration and training process was distorted as the DRC government under Kabila attempted to use it to gain more control over the dissident general Laurent Nkunda . A hastily negotiated verbal agreement in Rwanda saw three government FAC brigades integrated with Nkunda's former ANC 81st and 83rd Brigades in what was called mixage . Mixage brought multiple factions into composite brigades, but without

4560-515: The DRC, numbering between half a million to a million, but are a significant military force who live just across the border from Rwanda). In 2003, with the official end to war, Nkunda joined the new integrated national army of the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a colonel and by 2004, he was promoted to general. However, he soon rejected the authority of the government and retreated with some of

4655-474: The DRC. During the First Congo War , he fought alongside Laurent-Désiré Kabila , who overthrew Mobutu . At the outset of the Second Congo War , Nkunda joined and became a major in the Congolese Rally for Democracy also known as Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD), fighting on the side of Rwandan, Ugandan , Burundian , and other Tutsi-aligned forces (the latter are a relatively small group in

4750-539: The FARDC are then transferred to one of six integration centres for a 45-day training course, which aims to build integrated formations out of factional fighters previously heavily divided along ethnic, political and regional lines. The centres are spread out around the country at Kitona , Kamina , Kisangani , Rumangabo and Nyaleke (within the Virunga National Park ) in Nord-Kivu , and Luberizi (on

4845-413: The FAZ was used to put down various rebellions but was deliberately kept weak to prevent any possible coup, resulting in its collapse in the face of Laurent Kabila 's AFDL rebel movement during the First Congo War (1996–1997). After Kabila's overthrow of Mobutu the former FAZ troops and various rebels that supported him were in no condition to fight the invasion by Rwandan -backed militant groups during

SECTION 50

#1732780017438

4940-412: The Force Publique, unrestrained by their officers and NCOs . They burned villages they viewed as recalcitrant. There is evidence, including photographs, that FP soldiers cut off human hands, either as trophies, or to show that bullets had not been wasted, or (by cutting off the limbs of children) to punish parents viewed as not working hard enough in the rubber plantations. During the Free State period,

5035-455: The Forces du Terrestres (Land Forces). The People's Republic of China has trained Congolese troops at Kamina in Katanga from at least 2004 to 2009, and the Belgian government is training at least one 'rapid reaction' battalion. When Kabila visited U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington D.C., he also asked the U.S. Government to train a battalion, and as a result, a private contractor, Protection Strategies Incorporated, started training

5130-420: The Free State era. With many Force Publique detachments being stationed in remote areas of the territory, some officers took to using soldiers under their control to further private economic agendas rather than focusing on military concerns. By the end of 1891, the force had 60 officers, 60 non-commissioned officers, and 3,500 black soldiers. Friendly tribes and militias were often used to help exert control over

5225-473: The Free State to found an armed force in the colony on Leopold II of Belgium 's orders. The Force Publique was heavily involved in atrocities in the Congo Free State , and also saw action in the Congo Arab war , World War I and World War II . It was renamed to the Congolese National Army in July 1960 after Congo gained independence from Belgian colonial rule. The Force Publique was initially conceived in 1885 when Leopold II of Belgium , who established

5320-500: The Italian troops surrendered to General Auguste-Édouard Gilliaert on 7 July 1941, and included nine generals, among them General Pietro Gazzera and Count Arconovaldo Bonaccorsi , 370 officers, and 2,574 NCOs and 1,533 native soldiers. About 2,000 additional native irregulars were sent home. The Force Publique lost about 500 men during the East Africa Campaign, among them 4 Belgians. The Force Publique then helped to establish an overland route from Lagos through Fort Lamy and

5415-426: The Katanga companies, totalled about 17,000 askaris with 178 white officers and 235 white NCOs. The majority served in small static garrisons called poste with primarily a police role. With the outbreak of the First World War , the Katangese units were organised in battalions (Ie, IIe, and IIIme) for military service in Northern Rhodesia and the eastern frontier districts of the Belgian Congo . The Force Publique

5510-435: The Law on the Army and Defence, no legal stipulation on the DRC's Armed Forces makes provision for the GR as a distinct unit within the national army. In February 2005, President Joseph Kabila passed a decree which appointed the GR's commanding officer and 'repealed any previous provisions contrary' to that decree. The GR is more than 10,000 strong (the ICG said 10,000–15,000 in January 2007), and has better working conditions and

5605-455: The Mobutu regime during the 'radicalisation' programme of December 1974-January 1975; the FAZ was opposed to the measure and the plan 'took several months to die.' Force Publique The Force Publique ( French: [fɔʁs pyblik] , "Public Force"; Dutch : Openbare Weermacht ) was the military of the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo from 1885 to 1960. It was established after Belgian Army officers travelled to

5700-436: The President had left. They are still deployed at Kisangani 's Bangoka airport , where they appear to answer to no local commander and have caused trouble with MONUC troops there. The GR is also supposed to undergo the integration process, but as of January 2007, only one battalion had been announced as being integrated. Formed at a brassage centre in the Kinshasa suburb of Kibomango, the battalion included 800 men, half from

5795-407: The atomic bomb for Hiroshima . The military contribution was also important: the Force Publique grew to 40,000 in the course of the War, formed into three brigades, a river force and support units. It provided detachments to fight Italian forces during the East Africa campaign and serve as garrisons in West Africa and the Middle East. At the end of 1940, the XI Battalion of the Force Publique

SECTION 60

#1732780017438

5890-433: The battlefield, winning the respect of their British and Portuguese allies, as well as that of their German opponents. From 1916 onwards, the Force Publique grew to reach a strength of three mobile Groupes (brigades), Kivu, Ruzizi, and Tanganyika , comprising a total of 15 battalions, from the static garrison and police force of 1914. However, it did take until late 1915 for the Force Publique to finish preparations for

5985-409: The benefits of the new freedom, was disastrous. The outbreak caused fear amongst the approximately 100,000 Belgian and other European civilians and officials still resident in the Congo and ruined the credibility of the new government as it proved unable to control its own armed forces. For example, the white community in Luluabourg was besieged in improvised fortifications for three days until rescued by

6080-869: The blue uniform (with red trim around the neck and down the front opening), red fez and sash of the askaris was phased out in a series of changes during 1915–1917. Thereafter, officers and askaris wore a variety of khaki uniforms. The Force Publique was organised into 21 separate companies (originally numbered but later known only by their names) each between 225 and 950 men strong, along with an artillery and an engineers unit. The entire force numbered over 12,100 men. The companies were as follows: Aruwimi, Bangala, Bas-Congo , Cateracts, Équateur , Ituri , Kasai , Kwango , Lac Léopold II , Lualaba , Lulongo, Makrakas, Makua-Bomokandi, Ponthiérville , Rubi, Ruzizi - Kivu , Stanley Falls , Stanley Pool , Ubangi , and Uele-Bili. There were also six recruit training camps containing over 2,400 men. The separate companies comprising

6175-402: The border with Burundi) in South Kivu. The process has suffered severe difficulties due to construction delays, administration errors, and the amount of travel former combatants have to do, as the three stages' centres are widely separated. Following the first 18 integrated brigades, the second goal is the formation of a ready reaction force of two to three brigades, and finally, by 2010 when MONUC

6270-418: The colony would continue to fight on the side of the Allies. With Belgium occupied, the contribution to the Allied cause by the Free Belgian forces from the Belgian Congo was primarily an economic one providing copper, wolfram, zinc, tin, rubber, cotton and more. Already prior to the war uranium from the Shinkolobwe mine had been shipped to New York; it was later used in the Manhattan Project to produce

6365-419: The command of Medical Colonel Thomas, worked together with the British medical services in Abyssinia, Somaliland , Madagascar and Burma. They especially proved their value serving with the Indian XXXIII Corps on the Upper Chindwin , where they were attached to the 11th (East Africa) Division . During the confusion inherent in jungle fighting, the Belgian medical unit found itself on one occasion in advance of

6460-424: The cost of the colonial army low. As result, the proportion of commissioned Belgian officers to askaris (about one to a hundred) was very low by the standards of most colonial armies of this period. The weaponry of the Force Publique also remained mostly outdated due to the tight budgetary constraints on the colonial administration. Most askaris were armed with single shot 11 mm Albini-Braendlin rifles , though

6555-489: The end of the Second Congo War the army remains engaged with dozens of armed rebel groups throughout the country, most notably in the eastern province of North Kivu , near the border with Rwanda. There have also been multiple border clashes between Congolese troops and the Rwandan Army . The land forces are made up of about 14 integrated brigades , of fighters from all the former warring factions which have gone through an brassage integration process (see next paragraph), and

6650-553: The eve of Independence. A separate gendarmerie was organised in 1959 drawn from the Territorial Service Troops of the FP . By July 1959, a total of 40 companies and 28 platoons of gendarmerie were either formed or in training. In 1960, the Force Publique comprised 3 groupements (Groups) each of which covered two provinces. The 1st groupement had its headquarters at Elisabethville in Katanga Province, according to Louis-Francois Vanderstraeten. The 2nd groupement covered Léopoldville and Equateur . The 3rd groupement, commanded by

6745-402: The following unarmed aircraft and helicopters were used by Avimil: At independence on 30 June 1960, Avimil was placed under the control of the new government of the Republic of the Congo , and continued its missions until 20 July 1960. On this date the chief of Belgian forces in the Congo ordered the assembly of non-Congolese personnel and operational aircraft ('des appareils en état de vol') at

6840-500: The force was a de Havilland DH.85 Leopard Moth that entered service on 9 October 1940. For the remainder of the period of Belgium's rule, the Force Publique continued its joint military and police role, split into territorial units, charged with maintaining public order, and mobile units (between the wars known as unites campees ) charged with territorial defence. There was a mutiny by the XIV battalion at Luluabourg in 1944. In 1945,

6935-457: The formation of eighteen integrated brigades through the brassage process as its first of three stages. The process consists firstly of regroupment, where fighters are disarmed. Then they are sent to orientation centres, run by CONADER, where fighters take the choice of either returning to civilian society or remaining in the armed forces. Combatants who choose demobilization receive an initial cash payment of US $ 110. Those who choose to stay within

7030-530: The former GSSP and half from the MLC and RCD Goma. Attempting to list the equipment available to the DRC's land forces is difficult; most figures are unreliable estimates based on known items delivered in the past. The IISS 's Military Balance 2007 and Orbat.com's Concise World Armies 2005 give only slightly differing figures however (the figures below are from the IISS Military Balance 2007). Much of

7125-562: The front line troops. This incident was later used by British officers to motivate the fighting troops to greater efforts ("even a hospital can do better"). At the end of 1940, the FP headquarters, recognising the need for aviation support for the force, began forming the Aviation militaire de la Force Publique equipped with requisitioned civilian machines and based at N'Dolo Airport in Leopoldville. The first machine purchased for

7220-401: The main groups responsible for the recruitment of child soldiers in the DRC. Nkunda denies these allegations, stating that as of 2005 he has demobilised 2,500 "young soldiers". His total army was estimated at 7,000–8,000 men. Nkunda may have been usurped in leadership by fellow general Bosco Ntaganda , who became the new representative of the group. The two might have had a falling out over

7315-593: The new Congolese Government at Camp Leopold on 8 July, the FP was renamed as the Congolese National Army ( Armée Nationale Congolaise ( ANC )), and its leadership was Africanised. The chain of events this started eventually resulted in Joseph Mobutu ( Mobutu Sésé Seko ), a former Sergeant-Major in the FP who had been promoted to Chief of Staff of the ANC by Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba , gaining power and establishing his dictatorial kleptocracy . His regime

7410-459: The ones that existed prior to the reshuffle. A Congolese military analyst based in Brussels, Jean-Jacques Wondo, provided an outline of the updated command structure of the FARDC following the shake up of the high command: Several known officers held the post of chief of land forces staff. A number of outside donor countries are also carrying out separate training programmes for various parts of

7505-484: The outermost parts of the Free State. By 1900, the Force Publique numbered 19,000 men. Following the takeover of the Free State by the Belgian government in 1908, the new authorities reorganised the Force Publique . This process was rather slow, however, and was only completed during the First World War . Though the new Belgian administration was "more enlightened" than its predecessor, it still tried to keep

7600-542: The rank and file. Members of the Army also often strike deals to gain access to resources with the militias they are meant to be fighting. The various brigades and other formations and units number at least 100,000 troops. The status of these brigades has been described as "pretty chaotic." A 2007 disarmament and repatriation study said "army units that have not yet gone through the process of brassage are usually much smaller than what they ought to be. Some non-integrated brigades have only 500 men (and are thus nothing more than

7695-478: The territory as the nucleus of the officer corps. The officers of the Force Publique were entirely European. They comprised a mixture of Belgian regular soldiers and mercenaries from other countries who were drawn by the prospect of wealth or simply attracted to the adventure of service in Africa. To command his Force Publique , Leopold II was able to rely on a mixture of volunteers (regular officers detached from

7790-542: The total number of people displaced by the Kivu conflict to 2 million, causing civil unrest large food shortages and what the United Nations calls "a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic dimensions." In an interview with the BBC on November 10, 2008, Nkunda threatened to topple the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo if the president, Joseph Kabila , continued to avoid direct negotiations. Throughout

7885-672: The war their actions were supported by more than 260,000 local bearers. In 1916, Tombeur was made Military Governor of the Belgian Occupied East African Territories. After the Mahenge offensive and the capture of Mahenge in 1917, the Belgian Congolese army controlled roughly one-third of German East Africa. After the First World War , as outlined in the Treaty of Versailles , Germany

7980-455: The white cadres and units in Katanga were given better Mauser Model 1889 rifles. Other weapons included Maxim machine guns , smaller numbers of Madsen machine guns , Nordenfelt 4.7 cm and Krupp 7.5 cm cannons. The uniforms of the old Free State remained in use among the Force Publique until the First World War : Belgian officers wore white uniforms until late 1914, while

8075-618: The years Nkunda has come under scrutiny and been accused by a number of organizations of committing human rights abuses. Nkunda was indicted by the Congolese government for war crimes in September 2005. According to human rights monitors such as Refugees International , Nkunda's troops have been alleged to have committed acts of murder, rape, and pillaging of civilian villages; a charge which Nkunda denies. Amnesty International says his troops have abducted children as young as 12 and forced them to serve as child soldiers . In May 2002, he

8170-717: Was able to assemble another battalion from smaller units; originally called the IIIe, but changed to the 11e to avoid confusion with the Katanga IIIme battalion. During the First World War (1914–18), an expanded Force Publique served against German colonial forces in Kamerun and German East Africa ( Tanzania , Rwanda , Burundi ), as part of the East African campaign . The Force Publique performed well on

8265-518: Was accused of massacring 160 people in Kisangani , prompting UN Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson to call for his arrest following the abduction and beating of two UN investigators by his troops. He has claimed that the UN have ignored the widespread attacks on Tutsis in the region as they did during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The United Nations has identified Nkunda's CNDP as being one of

8360-483: Was an ethnically-mixed African soldiery, who eventually became comparable to the askaris fielded by other European colonial powers. Many were recruited or conscripted from “warrior tribes” in the Haut-Congo , others were mercenaries drawn from Zanzibar and West Africa ( Nigerian Hausas ). The role required of the Force Publique was that of both defending Free State territory and of internal pacification. In

8455-440: Was created by March 2007. (S/2007/156, 20 March 2007, 7) In September 2014, President Kabila reshuffled the command structure and in addition to military regions created three new 'defense zones' which would be subordinated directly to the general staff. The defense zones essentially created a new layer between the general staff and the provincial commanders. The military regions themselves were reorganized and do not correspond with

8550-460: Was forced to cede "control" of the Western section of the former German East Africa to Belgium. On 20 October 1924, Ruanda-Urundi (1924–1945), which consisted of modern-day Rwanda and Burundi , became a League of Nations mandate territory under Belgian administration, with Usumbura as its capital. On 10 May 1919, the Belgian colonial administration issued a decree formally reorganising

8645-562: Was forced to retreat by the numerical superiority of the Belgian army, and by 17 June 1916, Ruanda-Urundi was occupied. The Force Publique and the British Lake Force then started a thrust to capture Tabora , an administrative centre of central German East Africa. The army went on to take Tabora on 19 September after heavy fighting. At the time of the Battle of Tabora in September 1916, about 25,000 men were under arms; during

8740-473: Was intended to have four Belgian officers and NCOs plus between 100 and 150 askaris. In principle, companies comprised two or three 50-man platoons. There were supposed to be enough companies to form three Marche battalions. Eight Congolese soldiers were promoted to NCO. The 2,875 men of the Troupes du Katanga constituted a semi-autonomous force of six companies: four de marche and two other infantry, plus

8835-716: Was placed at the disposal of the British forces in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan . The 3rd Brigade of the Force Publique , together with the XI battalion (5,700 men), took part in the campaign in Abyssinia in Italian East Africa , arriving from the Congo via the Sudan. The troops took Asosa and Gambela with little resistance, and shelled Italian forces at Saïo on 8 June 1941. Their retreat cut off ,

8930-543: Was put under house arrest in Gisenyi when he was called for a meeting to plan a joint operation between the Congolese and Rwandan militaries. Nkunda has six children. Before joining the military, Nkunda studied psychology at Kisangani University then became a school teacher in Kichanga. He has claimed to admire leaders including Gandhi and George W. Bush . Nkunda claims to be a Seventh-day Adventist minister, he

9025-399: Was to remain in power until May 1997. Prior to independence, the air component of the Force Publique (Avi / or Avimil, Aviation militaire de la Force publique ) was based mainly at the N'Dolo airport, Leopoldville. Avimil's roles included the transportation of passengers, medical supplies and other goods, as well as undertaking connecting flights and recognition duties. Between 1944 and 1960

#437562