Enika Ngongo
- Enika Ngongo - Between1914and1917,the Force Publique, theBelgiancolonial army,tookpartintheFirstWorldWar.Firstindefensiveactionsin collaboration with French and British forces in Cameroon and in Rhodesia, then with offensive campaigns in German East Africa against the German troops of Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck. Theirintentwastoexchangetheirterritorialconquestsagainstparts ofPortugueseterritoryonthebankoftheCongoRiver,andthusgain accesstotheIndianOcean.Eventhoughitdidnotwork,theForce Publique realisedcrucialvictoriesinTabora(1916)andinMahenge (1917).Ifthesevictories,aswellastheroleofthecolonialtroops duringWorldWar I,haveofferedsomeinterestingstudies,yetthe difculties among Congolese soldiers and indigenous auxiliaries (portersandboys)remainuntold.Duringthesemilitarycampaigns, thousandsofCongolesemenwereindeedrecruitedassoldiersfrom everypartofthecolony,whileabout260,000indigenousauxiliaries wererecruitedas porters, to transportequipmentessentialfor the successofmilitaryoperations.Alongsidethem,womenandchildren served as the logistical backbone of the troops, carrying soldiers equipment and supplies, gathering food and water, cooking and doingthelaundry.Thelivingconditionswererenderedarduousby thehugemobilitydemandedbythewar.Weakenedbyinsufcient food,aharshclimate,thelackofrestortheunsuitabilityofhygiene and medicalcare, many porters died from unhealthy conditions. Men became sick rather than die ghting.After the war, despite thecrucialroletheyplayedandtheharshconditionstheyendured, indigenous soldiers and porters, living or dead,
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