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28-434: The province of Kasaï-Occidental was established in 1966 by regrouping the provinces of Luluabourg and Unité Kasaïenne which in turn were created 1962 when the historical Kasaï Province was divided in five provinces namely Lomami, Sankuru, Sud-Kasai, Luluabourg, Unité-Kasaïenne. The former provinces of Luluabourg and Unité-Kasaïenne correspond to the current districts of Lulua District and Kasaï District . Since its formation

56-502: A 1965 CIA-backed coup . He had the support of the US for his staunch opposition to communism, which would presumably make him a roadblock to communist activities in Africa. Mobutu declared himself president for five years, saying that he needed that long to undo the damage that the politicians had done in the country's first five years of independence. However, within two years, he had set up

84-746: A crisis between the two leaders developed. Lumumba had previously appointed Joseph Mobutu chief of staff of the new Congolese army, the Armee Nationale Congolaise (ANC) . Taking advantage of the leadership crisis between Kasa-Vubu and Lumumba, Mobutu garnered enough support within the army to inspire mutinous action. With financial support from the United States and Belgium, Mobutu made payments to his soldiers to generate their loyalty. The aversion of Western powers towards communism and leftist ideology, in general, influenced their decision to finance Mobutu's quest to maintain "order" in

112-604: A personal possession of the Belgian king. Some Bantu languages were taught in primary schools, a rare occurrence in colonial education. Colonial doctors greatly reduced the spread of African trypanosomiasis , commonly known as sleeping sickness. During World War II , the small Congolese army achieved several victories against the Italians in East Africa. The Belgian Congo, which was also rich in uranium deposits, supplied

140-580: Is also called the Republic of the Congo , alternatively known as "Congo-Brazzaville". In 1964, the state's official name was changed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo , but the two countries continued to be distinguished by their capitals; with the renaming of Léopoldville as Kinshasa in 1966, it became also known as Congo-Kinshasa . After Joseph Désiré Mobutu , commander-in-chief of

168-559: Is divided into the Kasaï and Lulua districts, with their headquarters in the towns of Luebo and Tshimbulu . Cities with independent administrations are Kananga in the Lulua district and Tshikapa in the Kasai district. The Kasai district is divided in five territories: Kamonia Territory seat Kamonia and is further divided in nine sectors: The tshikapa sector should not be confused with

196-824: The Kasai region . It is the primary spoken language in the province and it is natively spoken in the cities of Kananga and Tshikapa, also in the Demba territory, dimbelenge territory (Except the Lukibu sector), Dibaya territory (except the Tshishilu sector), Kazumba territory (except the Kavula, Bashi-mboyi, and Tshitadi sectors) in Kamonia territory (Except the Bapende, Lovua-Lushiku, lovua-longatshimo, and Kasai-Longatshimo sectors), and in

224-596: The Popular Movement of the Revolution as the country's only legal party. In 1970, he appeared alone on the ballot in the country's first direct presidential election . Two weeks later, a single list of PMR candidates was elected to the legislature . For all intents and purposes, the Democratic Republic of the Congo had come to an end, but it was another year before Mobutu officially changed

252-613: The Congo "accepts without reservation the obligations stipulated in the Charter of the UN and undertakes to abide by the same in absolute good faith." UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld cabled the Foreign Ministry, pointing out the difficulty in admitting the country into the UN under its name in the face of another application for membership from the neighboring Congo , preparing for independence from French control. A delegation

280-582: The Congolese people, wielded absolute power. Among the Congolese people, resistance against their undemocratic regime grew over time. In 1955, the Congolese upper class (the so-called " évolués "), many of whom had been educated in Europe, initiated a campaign to end the inequality. In May 1960, the MNC party or Mouvement National Congolais , led by Patrice Lumumba , won the parliamentary elections , and Lumumba

308-459: The Luebo territory (except some area in the northwest on the town of lwebo). Tshiluba is used as a first or second language in many towns outside its native area notably in the towns of Luebo, mweka, Ilebo, Kakenge, Luiza, Kamonia, etc... Others natively spoken languages are: The major religion is Christianity, with Catholicism being the largest faith. Kasa%C3%AF (former province) Kasaï

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336-419: The city of Lusambo . In 1947 Lusambo Province was renamed to Kasaï. Kasaï became an autonomous province of the Congo republic on 30 June 1960. On 14 August 1962 Kasaï was divided into five new provinces: Lomami , Luluabourg , Sankuru , Sud-Kasaï and Unité Kasaïenne . On 25 April 1966 Luluabourg and Unité Kasaïenne were united to form Kasaï-Occidental , while Lomami, Sankuru, and Sud-Kasaï were united in

364-426: The city of Tshikapa which is administered independently Luebo Territory seat Luebo, divided in five sectors: Mweka Territory seat Mweka; the entire territory is covered by one sector that of Bakuba. Ilebo Territory seat Ilebo, divided in four sectors: Dekese territory seat Dekese, divided in two sectors: Cities and towns, with their 2010 populations, are: Under the 2006 constitution, Kasaï-Occidental

392-763: The command of foreign mercenaries clashed with the ONUC, but in February 1963 Katanga was reintegrated into the national territory. From 1960 to 1964 the peacekeeping effort was the largest, most complex, and most costly operation ever carried out by the United Nations . Up to 20,000 troops were involved by the ONUC , the military components of which were completely withdrawn by 30 June 1964. Following five years of extreme instability and civil unrest, Joseph-Désiré Mobutu , then Lieutenant General , overthrew Kasa-Vubu in

420-444: The different local tribes (Luba, Tshokwe, Lunda, etc..), latter European explorers came to use the name Kasaï to refer to the river. Kasaï-Occidental borders the provinces of Bandundu to the west, Équateur to the north, Kasai-Oriental to the east, and Katanga to the southeast. To the south it borders the country of Angola . The province is crossed by many major rivers: Kasai, Lulua, Loango, Sankuru, Lukeni, etc... The province

448-563: The local people, some of whom used it to buy liquor from the Portuguese territory (Angola). In 1914 the Belgian Congo was organized into four large provinces: Congo-Kasai, Équateur , Orientale Province and Katanga . in 1933 they were reorganized into six provinces, named after their capitals, and the central government assumed more control. Congo-Kasai was divided into the new provinces of Léopoldville and Lusambo, named after

476-619: The national army, seized control of the government in 1965, the Democratic Republic of the Congo became the Republic of Zaire in 1971. It would again become the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1997. The period between 1960 and 1964 is referred to as the First Congolese Republic . Conditions in the Congo improved following the Belgian government's takeover in 1908 of the Congo Free State , which had been

504-559: The new province of Kasaï-Oriental . Republic of the Congo (L%C3%A9opoldville) Other major events The Republic of the Congo ( French : République du Congo ) was a sovereign state in Central Africa , created with the independence of the Belgian Congo in 1960. From 1960 to 1966, the country was also known as Congo-Léopoldville (after its capital) to distinguish it from its northwestern neighbor, which

532-463: The new state by neutralizing Kasa-Vubu and Lumumba in a coup by proxy. On 17 January 1961, Katangan forces, supported by the Belgian government, which desired to retain mining rights for copper and diamonds in Katanga and South Kasai , executed Patrice Lumumba and several of his aides at a pig farm near Élisabethville . On at least three occasions over the next two years, Katangan forces under

560-536: The provincial seat is Kananga (formerly Luluabourg) which was also the seat of the Kasaï Province between 1957 and 1962. The Province of Lusambo precedes the current entity, it was created 1933 by carving out the districts of Kasai and Sankuru from the Province of Congo-Kasaï , one of the four provinces established in 1924. The province of Lusambo changed its name to Kasaï Province in 1947 its provincial seat

588-645: The uranium that was used by the United States to build the atomic weapons that were used in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. The colonial administration implemented a variety of economic reforms to improve infrastructure: railways, ports, roads, mines, plantations and industrial areas. The Congolese people, however, lacked political power and faced legal discrimination. All colonial policies were decided in Brussels and Léopoldville. The Belgian Colony-secretary and Governor-general, neither elected by

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616-535: The wake of a Security Council veto by the USSR . The Congo Crisis , a period of political upheaval and conflict between 1960 and 1965 in that land, had entered full swing. Hammarskjöld's second term was cut short when on 18 September 1961 he died in a plane crash near Ndola , Northern Rhodesia while en route to cease-fire negotiations during the Congo Crisis. Following a constitutional referendum in 1964 it

644-626: Was a province of the Belgian Congo and the successor Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville) . Kasaï was named after the Kasai River , a major left tributary of the Congo River that provides access to the region. By 1910 a factory of the Kasai Company had been established near Misumba , which had about two thousand inhabitants. The company had made successful trial rubber plantations. The company also bought rubber and ivory from

672-560: Was appointed prime minister. Joseph Kasa-Vubu of ABAKO was elected president by the parliament. Other parties that emerged include the Parti Solidaire Africain (PSA), led by Antoine Gizenga , and the Parti National du Peuple (PNP), led by Albert Delvaux and Laurent Mbariko . The Belgian Congo achieved independence on 30 June 1960. On 1 July Lumumba sent a wire to the UN to request membership, stating that

700-486: Was renamed the "Democratic Republic of the Congo", and in 1971 it was changed again to "Republic of Zaïre". Shortly after independence, the provinces of Katanga (with Moise Tshombe ) and South Kasai engaged in secessionist struggles against the new leadership. Subsequent events led to a crisis between President Kasa-Vubu and Prime Minister Lumumba . On 5 September 1960, Kasavubu dismissed Lumumba from office. Lumumba declared Kasa-Vubu's action "unconstitutional" and

728-769: Was sent from Brazzaville , the capital of the French Congo, to Léopoldville to resolve the matter. In the end, it was decided that the former Belgian Congo would be recognised as the Republic of the Congo or Congo-Léopoldville while the former French Congo would be known as the Congolese Republic or Congo-Brazzaville. In September 1960 the Fourth emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly needed to be called in

756-563: Was still Lusambo until 1957 when it was moved to Luluabourg (now Kananga ). The Province of Kasai existed until it was subdivided in 1962 into 5 provinces. The Province derives its name from the Kasai River which flows through the Kasaï District from south to north. The river is the second longest in DR. Congo and a major tributary of the Congo River . The Kasaï river was variously called Enzzadi, Nsadi, Nzadi, Kassabi, Kasye, Kassaba by

784-475: Was to have been divided into two provinces by 18 February 2009. Kasai District and the city of Tshikapa were to combine and become a new Kasai Province, and Lulua District would be combined with the city of Kananga to form the new Lulua Province. As of 24 May 2014, this had not taken place. French is the official language. Tshiluba also known as the Luba-Kasai language is spoken by about 6.3 million people in

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