MASTER'S THESIS M-590 TRUMPS, Shirly Ray. AN ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS CAUSING THE KATANGA-CONGO SPLIT. The American University, M.A., 1964 Political Science, international law and relations University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan AN ANALÎSIS OF THE FACTORS CAUSING THE KATANGA-CONGO SPLIT A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the School of International Service The American U niversity In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts In Area Studies Committee' a signature r Chairman by C S h irly R^1 Trumps Dates November 1963 AMERICAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY MAR 2 3 1CS4 . r WASHINGTON. P,■o TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER P'^GE I . INTRODUCTION............................................................................................ 1 Statement of the problem ............................................................ 3 purpose of the th e sis ................................................................. 5 I I . BACKGROUND OF THE CONGO CRISIS.................................................... 6 I I I . THE PHYSIOGRAPHIC FACTORS........................................................... 34 G e n e r a l................................................................................................. 34 Size and Location 35 B ou nd aries ....................................................... 36 C lim a t e ................................................................................................. 37 M in era ls................................................................................................. 37 A n a ly s is................................................................................................. 38 IV. THE DEMOGRAPHIC " f a c t o r s ................................................................ ^ G e n e r a l................................................................................................. 40 Population figures .......................................................................... 41 Population groups .......................................................................... 42 Population trends .......................................................................... 43 A n a ly sis...................... 43 V, THE HISTORICAL FACTORS..................................................................... 45 G e n e r a l................................................................................................. 45 Ancient Congolese Monarchies ................................................... 46 Empires of the Congo ..................................................................... 48 The Congo Free State ................................................................ , 50 11 CHAPTER PAGE A nalysis .............................................................................. 53 V I. THE ECONOMIC FACTORS...................................................................... 56 General ............................................................................... 56 Union M inière du Haut Ka ta n g a......................... 59 A n a ly s is.................................................................................................. 63 V II. THE POLITICAL FACTORS.................................................................... 66 G e n e r a l.................................................................................................. 66 Political parties ........................................................................... 68 A n aly sis .................................................................................................. 92 V III. THE SOCIO-GULTÜRAL FACTORS............................................................... 98 G e n e r a l....................................................... 98 Policy of Liberalism and paternalism .................................... 100 Education and Religion................................................................. 103 Urbanization . ........................................................................................ 106 A nalysis ........................................................................ ..... I l l IX. THE MILITARY FACTORS...................................................................... 114 G e n e r a l.................................................................................................. 114 Force publique.................................................................................... 114 A n aly sis .................................................................................................. 119 X, CONCLUSIONS............................................................................... 121 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................................................... 125 111 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION P rio r to World War I I the Congo was v ir tu a lly is o la te d from the rest of Africa and appeared to be happy under the rule of the Belgians, AS a result of World War II the isolation barrier of the Congo was bro­ ken. Congolese were coining into contact with other African troops who had served in Egypt, the Middle East and Burma, and were learning of the outside world. In the Congo itself the Congolese had the opportu­ nity to observe the American Negro soldier being treated as an equal to his white counterpart. By the end of World War II the elites, the racial separation policy of the Belgian Government, individual European settlers, and the vast movement fo r independence which was beginning to emerge throughout co­ lonial Africa, threatened the colonial regime of the Congo,^ I t was a t th is time th a t voices could be heard in the Congo de­ manding changes and eventual independence. The f i r s t demands were fo r better economic and social conditions. Particularly, they desired as­ similation to European status. This desire for assimilation carried with it the desire for independence. When the Belgians noticed that their * Paternalistic Policy* would not work in the Congo, the Government issued the Declaration of January iRPth S lade, The Belgian Congo (London; Oxford U niversity press, 1961) p, 53, 13, 1959. This declaration was preceded by a message from King Baudouin of Belgium stating; "it was the firm intention, without undiscernable procrastination, but also without undue haste, to lead the Congolese population towards independence in prosperity and peace, There were three widely different events which occurred outside the Congo which can be considered as primary causes for the issuance of the Declaration of January 13, 195,9 on the part of the Belgians; General de Gaulle's launching of the French community; the Brussels World pair; and the first All-African people’s Conference in Accra.3 In August 1958, de Gaulle arrived in Brazzaville, on the opposite side to the Congo riv e r from L eopoldville, and gave the French Congo­ lese a choice between membership in the French Community as an auton­ omous republic, or complete independence. Two days after this speech, an influential group of Congolese forwarded a firm memorandum to the Governor-General of the Congo firm ly s ta tin g th e ir demands fo r eventual complete independence,4 It was also during this period that prominent Congolese leaders were invited by the Belgian Government to attend the World Fair in Belgium. It was there, for the first time, that Congolese leaders from a l l p a rts of the Congo found themselves in close and continuous association with each other, previously, they had little opportunity ^Ibid, p, 50. ^colin Legum, Congo D isaster (Baltim ore; Penguin Books, 1961) p. 54. 4lbid. of meeting and discussing ideas under the Belgian colonial regime in the C ongo,3 finally, there was the third factor which preceded the Declaration the A ii-A frican p e o p le 's conference in Accra on December 5, 1958. The Belgian authorities placed no obstacles in the way of certain Congolese leaders who had been invited to attend the conference, it was at the Accra meeting that Patrice Lumumba, leader of the Mouvement National Congolaise (MNC) made a full-blooded nationalist soeech committing the MMC to full supoort for Accra's decision of immediate independence for all African countries, in January of 1960 representatives of the Belgian Government and the Congolese political loaders met at Brussels at the Round T-ble Conference to determine constitutional changes in the Congo. At this ccnierence it was announced on January 27, lOôO that independence for the Congo would begin on June 30, 1960,^ The Belgians were completely unurepared for the swiftness with which events had moved at the Round Table Cenference. The Belgians had never envisaged immediate independence. They believed that it was possible to achieve a peigian-Congolese Community. They also hoped, that their King might stiil be recognised as King of an independent Congo, nfhy did the '’ei.^ians lose tl'e conference? The Belgians suf­ fered from self-deception, they could not bring themselves to believe ^ibid. p. 55. ^Ib id . D. 7 3 or to understand the extent of the Congolese op osition to their con­ tinued rule, in addition, Belgium's political intelligence reported what the Government wanted to hear. These intelligence reports tend­ ed to show that the extremists demanding immediate independence were 7 in a small minority, sovereignty was granted to the Congo on June 30, 1960 and the first few days of independence were peaceful. However, four days later trouble started and tlie crisis of the Congo vjas launched on the arena of world politics, (pn