WI: The British get Katanga instead of the Belgians

kernals12

Banned
In 1891, there was a race between Belgium and Britain to see who could conquer the mineral rich Katanga region in Central Africa. The Belgians, led by Captain William Stairs (Ironically British), defeated the Brits and Katanga was annexed on the Congo Free State. From what I've read, the people of Katanga had more in common, ethnically, with the people of what is now Zambia, than with the rest of the Congo. In 1960, the Congolese gained independence and shortly afterwards Katanga tried to secede. The Congo would've been bankrupt without the revenue from the province's mines so they needed to put down the separatists, precipitating the bloody Congo Crisis. So what if the British had won the race and Katanga became part of Rhodesia instead? What today's DRC be less of a bloodbath?
 
From past discussions related to this, i argue that a British victory in the First Boer War could easily lead to a British Katanga.
 

TruthfulPanda

Gone Fishin'
Would not a British Katanga lead to the partition of Angola as per the OTL 1898 Anglo-German treaty, i.e. with a British corridor running through Angola to link Katanga to the sea?
 
Katanga was one of the main centers for the White Congolese population, so if it's attached to North Rhodesia, it's wealth and decent climate for Europeans will cause some level of white settlement. Overall, it would result in a larger Zambia, and one with somewhat better infrastructure, since the Congo Pedicle and its dangers are a major hassle for Zambia IOTL.

The effect on Congo-Kinshasa will be interesting, since they'll lose one of their most economically valuable provinces.
 

kernals12

Banned
Katanga was one of the main centers for the White Congolese population, so if it's attached to North Rhodesia, it's wealth and decent climate for Europeans will cause some level of white settlement. Overall, it would result in a larger Zambia, and one with somewhat better infrastructure, since the Congo Pedicle and its dangers are a major hassle for Zambia IOTL.

The effect on Congo-Kinshasa will be interesting, since they'll lose one of their most economically valuable provinces.
Katanga has fuelled so much conflict in the Congo, I think they'll be richer without it.
 
Katanga has fuelled so much conflict in the Congo, I think they'll be richer without it.

Although it isn't just Katanga, it's also the Kivu Region with its gold and rare-earths. The government in Kinshasa having little control over the region is nothing new either, since the Kivu Region (and nearby areas) was where slave traders like Tippu Tip frequently raided (and fought a war with Belgium/Congo Free State).
 
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