The Role of the United Nations Forces in Congo, 1960 t0 1964

The Role of the United Nations Forces in Congo, 1960 t0 1964

The United Nations operations in the Republic of Congo started in 1960 to 1964. These operations were initiated in response to a request by the Congolese Government to be offered military assistance to gain control of the rebellious army and restore order in the newly independent country. In response to this request, the United Nations Security Council authorized a peacekeeping force to address the civil unrest that followed after the Belgians gave the country its independence in 1960. The UN was originally mandated to help in removing Belgian troops and provide military support to the Government in Congo, and its actions were swiftly expanded. This is when the UN began fighting the Katanga troops who possed a threat to UN’s operations in the country. What ensued was a scuffled between the UN troops and Katanga forces which lasted until early 1963 when Katanga was fully reintegrated. By June 1964, all UN forces were withdrawn from Congo. This paper looks at the role of the United Nations in Congo and argues that the United Nations intervened in the country to aid the Government with military support and combat the Katanga forces so as to restore peace and provide the technical assistance needed in the country following the collapse of many essential services.

The Republic of Congo was a Belgian colony before it gained its independence in 1960. After gaining independence, a disorder in the country broke out, and in response to this, Belgium sent troops to the country without the consent of the Congolese Government. Belgium aimed at restoring peace and order in the country to protect the Belgian nationals that resided in the country. The disorder was brought about by the secession of Katanga province, which led to the clashed between Katanga forces and the UN, under the new Secretary-General, U Thant. The succession of the Katanga province caused havoc in the country and the Belgians had to intervene which consequently led to the intervention of the United Nations.

The intervention of Belgian in Congo was a defilement of its treaty with Congo and the Congolese Government, which was headed by Joseph Kasavubu as the president and Patrice Lumumba as the prime minister refused to accept the intervention of Belgium since they had already granted them independence. To make things worse, Katanga province, under its leader Moïse Tshombé declared that it would succeed from chaos and declared that if Lumumba’s rebellious troops enter Katanga, it would only result in lawlessness and slaughter. This consequently led to the Republic of Congo, asking for assistance from the United Nations. The UN Security Council, therefore, established ONUC in Congo to provide military support to allow the Congolese forces “to meet fully their tasks.” Additionally, the Council demanded that Belgium retract all of its troops from the Congo since they were seen as an outrage not only to Congolese independence but also to the global decolonization movement.[1]

In order to meet the huge and complex task at hand, the United Nations needed to assemble a big team. The United Nations Force reached almost 20,000 officers and men. In 1961, after the assassination of Patrice Lumumba in Katanga province, the instructions of the Security Council to the United Nation’s Force were strengthened. The aim of the United Nations force was to protect the Congo from external interference, mainly by relinquishing foreign armed forces and advisers form Katanga province and prevent clashes and civil strife by exerting Force if need be. “The crisis created by civil disorder presented a challenge to the liberal belief that self-determination and democracy reduced the risk of conflict and raised questions as to whether limits should be set to the pursuit of self-determination and demonstrated the difficulty of trying to introduce democracy (here defined as ‘rule by the people’) to communities who are not informed by a common policy.”[2] During the first phase of the United Nation’s operations in Congo, the United States provided strategic airlift to help in transporting UN troops in the country. Some 9,000 UN troops were positioned in various locations all over Congo, and gradually, ONUC re-established a semblance of law and order.

During the first few months after ONUC agreed to intervene in the peacekeeping actions in Congo, UN troops engaged in policing and training, and therefore, the aerial contribution was limited to supporting troops and supply. ONUC units were able to disarm many of the rebellious Armée Nationale Congolaise (ANC) troops, and this helped in restoring a degree of law and order in Congo. This proved to the Belgians that the UN was capable of protecting both Congolese and Belgian civilians and began departing from Congo. “After ONUC’s massive deployment was accomplished, air transport remained vital as almost all supplies had to be transported by air to ONUC troops dispersed across the vast country.”[3] At this time, ONUC did not interfere with the internal aspects of Congolese politics and therefore did not involve in any operations to end the secession of Katanga in Congo. “In fact, Secretary-General Hammarskjöld refused to comply with Prime Minister Lumumba’s demands that ONUC enter Katanga, subdue that province’s rebel forces, and compel the Katangan leaders to submit to the Congo’s central government.”[4] In August 1960, UN forces were allowed to enter Katanga but were not allowed to influence the outcome of any conflict.

The second phase of ONUC begun and authorized the UN to take any measures to prevent the emergence of civil war in Congo. The operations were now aimed at ending the Katangan secession. This came after the assassination of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, which also triggered the threat of the involvement of the Soviet Union, which was angered by Lumumba’s death. Following Lumumba’s death, the United Nations strengthened its mission in an effort to keep foreign forces out of Congo. Afterward, three of the four groups that had claimed control in Congo, Mobutu, Kalonji, and Lumumba reconciled, and this resulted in the restoration of Congo’s parliament and also prevented the outbreak of a bigger civil war in Congo. The only group left was Tshombe’s Katanga province forces, and the United Nations forces clashed with the Katangan mercenaries several later in the same year.

To combat the Katanga forces, U Thant, took a more aggressive approach and in December 1961, UN troops from India, Ireland, Sweden and Ethiopia were brought in Congo to fight the Katangan gendarmes and finally managed to defeat them.[5] After the UN launched the Rumpunch operation in August 1961, 81 foreign mercenaries surrendered. The most obvious example of the transition from peacekeeping to peace enforcement was launched in September 1961 when Operation Morthor was launched where and Indian ONUC operation took control of Katanga. This operation led to a long engagement between Katanga forces and ONUC. What ended the Katangan secession was the UN operation known as ‘Operation Unokat,’ which put the Katanga forces leader on much pressure to enter negotiations with the Congolese prime Minister of that time, Cyrille Adoula. Tshombe finally signed the Kitona Declaration, which meant that he would recognize the authority of the Congolese Government and work to reintegrate Katanga province into the Republic of Congo.

In February 1963, after Katanga had been reintegrated into the national region of the Congo, and eliminating of the Force was started, focused on its end before that year’s over. In line with the Congolese Government, be that as it may, the General Assembly approved the stay of a decreased number of troops for a further a half year. The Force was totally pulled back by 30 June 1964. Despite the fact that the military period of the United Nations Operation in the Congo had finished, regular citizen help proceeded in the biggest single program of help attempted until that time by the world Organization and its offices, with about 2,000 specialists grinding away in the country at the pinnacle of the program in 1963-1964.

Conclusion

As seen, the United Nations played a major role in bringing peace in the Republic of Congo. Many people believe that it was able to fulfill its original and main objective, which was to offer military support to the Government in Congo in combating the enemy forces in Congo. Congo had not descended into civil war by the time the United Nations became involved and it managed in making foreign forces such as Belgium from retracting from the country and enabling the country to have full independence. As a result of the United Nation’s effort to restore order in the country, the Congolese Government was able to make peace with the Katangan forces and assimilate it into the Congo territory as a whole. Was it not for the United Nations, Congo would have fallen into civil unrest with groups like Katangan forces terrorizing the administration and citizens, both Congolese and Belgians living in the country. However, not every nation involved in the restoration of Congo was happy with the actions of the UN, and this posed several problems for the United Nations as some of the countries such as France, Russia, and Belgium refused to contribute money needed to fund the operations in Congo. All in all, the United Nations succeeded in carrying out their operations that led to the restoration of peace and order in Congo.

 

Bibliography

Dorn, Walter. “The UN’s First “Air Force”: Peacekeepers in Combat, Congo 1960–64.” The Journal of Military History 77 (2013): 1399-1425.

O’Neill, John Terence, and Nick Rees. United Nations peacekeeping in the post-Cold War era. Vol. 18. Routledge, 2005. 43.

Weissman, Stephen R. American foreign policy in the Congo 1960-1964. Cornell University Press, 2019.

 

[1] Walter, Dorn. “The UN’s First “Air Force”: Peacekeepers in Combat, Congo 1960–64.” 1.

[2] O’Neill, John Terence, and Nick Rees. United Nations peacekeeping in the post-Cold War era. Vol. 18. Routledge, 2005. 43.

[3] Ibid, 2.

[4] Ibid, 3.

[5] Stephen R., Weissman. American foreign policy in the Congo 1960-1964. Cornell University Press, 2019. 243.