Three way in the Congo

Intro
Short TL I had an idea for about a three way proxy war in the Congo

Intro

The Second Congo war sometimes referred to as the Great African War or African World War. One of the longest running and by far the deadliest conflict of the cold war.The former Belgian colony located in the center of Africa has long been divided into various warring factions supported by the superpowers and their various local African allies since the fall of the Atlantic backed government in the mid-1990s. South-west around the capital is dominated by the Atlantic backed government and militias with support from the neighboring United States of Latin Africa, North and Northeast dominated by fascist supported militias backed by Uganda and the United Arab Republic, Central Congo would be controlled by militias backed by Rwanda and Burundi with support from the communist bloc, and finally the south of the country would be ruled by the Independent state of Katanga with support from the Portuguese. Despite the countless atrocities ranging from genocide,mass rape, and cannibalism. The conflict would receive little fanfare or attention around the world.
 
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Congo's primary problem is the wide variety of native tribes jammed together by Porteugese colonists.
The next to dozen African countries suffer similar tribal frictions.
Most of African civil wars of the last half-century have been mere revivals of ancient tribal feuds ..... with different tribes backed by communist, fascist or capitalist coutries.
 
Independence
Independence

The Democratic Republic of the Congo a Belgian colony since the 1908 acquisition from the Belgian king Leopold the Second would gain it's independent from the Belgian government in exile on June 30th 1960. Belgian plans for a 30 year transition period were canned due to high costs,large scale native opposition, and an increasing lack of administrators. DRC would be lead by Patrice Lumumba of Mouvement National Congolais(MNC) as prime minster and Joseph Kasa Vubu of Alliance des Bakongo (ABAKO) as president. The MNC the larger of the two was a big tent party divided between factions within it with a focus on centralization. The ABAKO was based on ideas of federalism and the promotion of regional identity within the Congo.These two parties were the dominant parties on a national level.

Independence would soon be followed by a mutiny of soldiers in the capital of Leopoldville and the city of Thysville by the new DRC army. The mutiny would be aim at the Belgian officers still in charge of the army.The mutiny would soon spread to areas of the country with widespread violence against the white population of the country leading to a joint Belgian and British intervention as the former lacked the numbers.The mutiny would lead Lumumba to africanize the military, promoted all black soldiers at least one rank, and make Joseph-Désiré Mobutu chief of staff of the Congolese military. Despite the end of the mutiny,the Congo's descend into civil war and crisis would not be halted.
 
Crisis part 1
Crisis part 1
On July 11 the first state of Katanga would proclaimed by the Confederation des associations tribales du Katanga (CONAKAT) lead by Moise Tshombe. The region's independence would be supported by western mining companies, fearfully of the nationalization in the mineral-rich region.Shortly after the secession of Katanga, South Kasai soon followed as another mineral-rich breakaway state in the Congo.

Lumumba's attempts to gain assistance from the United States were rejected while offers from Germany were refused due to ideological reasons in favor of Soviet assistance. 1,000 Soviet military advisers soon landed in the Congo. The Soviet support would see a successfully offensive against the smaller breakaway state of South Kasai.The offensive would lead to the Congolese military being involved in fighting between the Baluba and Bena Lulua ethnic groups leading to widespread massacres and ethnic cleansing.

The involvement of the Soviets would break the Congolese government and ultimately lead to more chaos. On 5 September 1960, Kasa-Vubu would unilaterally dismiss Lumumba,Who in turn dismissed Kasa Vubu from power causing constitutional crisis. The deadlock would be broken by a bloodless coup by Mobutu.Mobutu siding with Kasa Vubu ushering in his return to the presidency in early 1961 while holding a great deal of power. Lumumba held in house arrest since the coup would successfully escape making it eastwards towards Stanleyville in early January 1961 joining other members of the MNC-L lead by Antoine Gizenga in a rebel government formed in November 1960.
 
Second state of Katanga
Second state of Katanga

An island of stability and prosperity in a region lacking both.The second state of Katanga named after the former province and breakaway state during the Congo Crisis.Found in 1998 following an invasion by Katangalese exiles and refugees from Angola,the unrecognized state is supported by Portugal and international mining companies with some decrying as a Portuguese or corporate "puppet state".

The country is a one-party dictatorship lead by Nathaniel Mbumba of the National Liberation Front (NLC) formally the Congolese National Liberation Front.Holding the same borders of the old province of Katanga ,the nation holds 13,207,000 souls within it's 497,000 square kilometers borders with a strong national identity forged by decades of mismanagement at the hands of Mobutu. The country by modern times has managed to reach a GDP of 3,000 despite the wide-spread corruption and frequent border clashes with various Congolese groups.The young nation's economy is based on mining of Cobalt and Copper with exports passing through the Angola or Zambia.

It's conflicts with the neighboring Congolese Government and Rwandan backed militias has necessitated a large and well armed military. Boasting standing army of 150,000 with 200,000 reservists largely supplied with American or German arms bought from Portugal, ready to deal with whatever threats come from north of the border.Portugal maintains close relations with Katanga as a way of providing stability and prevent the region from being used as a base for Angolan independence movements and other hostile movements.
 

kernals12

Banned
Congo's primary problem is the wide variety of native tribes jammed together by Porteugese colonists.
The next to dozen African countries suffer similar tribal frictions.
Most of African civil wars of the last half-century have been mere revivals of ancient tribal feuds ..... with different tribes backed by communist, fascist or capitalist coutries.
If each tribe in Africa had its own country, we would get this mess
gpmafrica.gif
 

kernals12

Banned
Voting in the UN would be really dicey...all in all though, not the "three way" I was wondering about...
Voting in the UN would be the least of the problems. Think about what a nightmare it would be for truckers to go through all those border posts, or how building railroads and power lines will require cooperation from dozens of governments.
 
The problem in the Congo isn’t tribal rivalries.

It’s 80% the fault of Mobutu for spending almost half a century hollowing the country out through corruption on a scale never before seen. In the last few years the army wasn’t paid in wages, but were just expected to pillage their own countrymen to get payment.

About 10% the fault of the Belgians for destroying the country before Mobutu even arrived or maybe the Americans for proping up Mobutu while he destroyed his own country.

And 10% the fault of Rwanda for invading in 1996, and then again in 1998. The two wars killed more people than any since WW2. Though maybe it’s better to put that blame on the French for helping over a million ‘refugees’, many of whom were genociders, escape into the Congo after the 1994 genocide. Or perhaps again for Mobutu because he helped them continue raiding Rwanda between 1994-‘96.
 
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Crisis part 2
Crisis part 2

The Congo-Stanleyville government lead by Patrice Lumumba and Antoine Gizenga would be recognized by the communist bloc and by a number of Afro-Asiatic states. Among them a key ally would emerge in the form of Gamal Nasser due to allowing a Air bridge to established viv Egypt and persuading Sudan to allow Soviets arms and supplies to flow to Stanleyville. Opposing them the Leopoldville-government recognized primarily by the Capitalist and Fascist blocs,however, would remain firmly allied with Atlantic bloc refusing overtures from Germany at least until the war was over.

Assistance to the Leopoldville-Government would mainly come in the form of cash which would be used to pay for mercenaries from around the world.Along with these mercenaries, a few American military advisers and large quantities of arms would be sent to aid the Congolese military.Viewing the Stanleyville government as the bigger problem. Leopoldville would oped to leave the Secessionist states alone for the time being.

The opening moves would consist of a two pronged offensive, one aimed at city of Stanleyville and the other aimed at cutting Congo-Stanleyville supply lines by taking the border regions in the north of the country.Early February would the mark the start of the offensive,the push to take Stanleyville would peter out due to increasing Resistance where the Aruimi meets the Congo river about a month later.The northern offensive would do far better with the offensive halting near the Sudanese border in the amount of time.

Maps

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images
 
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