CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY: CONGO

Created: 11/17/1961

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

COPY NO.CI NO.

1

Current Intelligence Weekly Summary

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE

secret

I)

I

CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY

CONGO

murder oftalian UK airmen by mutinous Glzenglst troops at Klndu has brought an angry reaction on the part of tbe UN and could foreahadoe hostilities beteeen UN forces and Glzenglst units of the Congo Army. On IS November the UN Secretariat authorized aair strike,Nin Leopoldvllle Indicated the next day that the UN command bad dropped this idea and would merely prams an Investigation into the deaths of tb* airmen.

Olzenga is believed to be supervising his "invasion" of northern Katanga from somewhere in southern Kivu Province. DM authorities appear to havethe movement of Glr.nngtKt troops into Katanga, presumably on the theory that the mala enemy wee Tnhombe. Now, however, it is holding Gizenga responsible for the depredations of hla troops, in contrast to itsroluctance to take issue titlisecessionist novemoni. This reaction will probably be welcomed in Katanga, which because of Tshombe'sha* been th* primaryfor UN pressuresanctions.

Girenga's military pushnorthern Katanga--apparently Involvingbegan In early November. At the same lime the ON, acting on behalf of the centralnought to fill thavacuus In northern Katanga and to stimulate pro-Leopoldvllle sentiment among antl-Tshoabe Baluba tribesmen in th* area.

ndovember, Baluba elements gained control of Albertville, ostensibly In tbe nam* of the central govern-

' BBBBB*BBBBBBBTaaVaBBBBal

gflTfflTfJBfJ priaarllj for purposes of pillage. Although neither the Invading Congo Army force nor the Baluba tribesmen showed any strong attachment to Leopold-

ov 61

vllle, they appeared united in tbelr hostility toward Europeans and the Tahoabe regime. In Ellsa-bethvllle, Tshombe appearedwhether to defend northern Katanga, an area over which he had never exercised firm control.

meanwhile, UN representative Ithlari. who forced his way into Glxenga's Stanleyville officeovember when Gizenga refused to see him, became pessimistic about tbe prospect that Glxenga algbt cooperate with Premier Ar'oula. Gizenga told Khtarl that he had no confidence In the UN or any UN repreaentatlve in the Congo, that they had all been "bought bynd that tho UN, "in connivance withad mad*eak pretense of Katanga.

In an attempt to make the invading Congo Army forceto Leopoldvllle, tbe Adoula governmentovember made its peace wiih General Lundula, the nominal commanderrientals anc1 Bawl provinces. Lundula'ain Leopoldvllle were cut short when, onovember, hi* soldiers In Klndu beat up and subsequently killed the Italian airmen. Lundula'a attemptovember to reassert control over his forces at Klndu resultedelee from which he fled for hla life, although ho subsequently returned for another try.

The UN Security Council,lo sesalon to considerthe UN to take thein bringing Katanga into line, will probably broaden its debate to Include authorizing the ua* of force against the mutinous Glz*ngist troops. raftproviding for UN uae ofmeasures of force" to get rid of mercenaries haa beenby Ceylon, Liberia, and tbe UAR, the three Afro-Asian rep-reaentatlvea on the council. Foreign Minister Spaak objects

Pnffo 6 of W

CURRENT lrrreiXIGENCS WEEKLY SUMMARY

thr draft resolution because lt concentrates too narrowly on the Katanga problem and does not refer to the broader USof reconciling opposing factions In tbe Congo.

The council Is likely to endorse the further use of force Id the Congo, but any resolution acceptable to all members wtll probably be so vaguoly worded as to require the secretary general toit as he condnets the UN Congo operation.

In Loopoldvllle, General Mobutu stated In mid-November that he had become reconciled to the disarmament of the entire Congo Army. With reference to the earlier depredations of Congo Army forces In Luluabourg. Mobutu said it might be necessary toan entirely new amy, starting: with new recruits. Mobutu's remarks were probably more Indicative of despair than

an expos i" program.

ov 61

WEEKLY REVIEW

Pace

7 of 24

Original document.

Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: