CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY: CONGO

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 00202772
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: March 16, 2022
• Document Release Date: June 13, 2016
• Case Number: F-2014-01825
• Publication Date: September 14, 1961

Approved for Release: 2016/05/31 C00202772
CO
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CURRENT
INTELLIGENCE
WEEKLY
SUMMARY
COPY NO. 68
OCI NO. 0297/61
14 September 1961
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
DOCUMENT NO
NO CMAtICE CLASS. D
DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. ciina TO: TS S1/411)11?0
NEIJ ELVLW DATE:
AUTH: MR 70-2
DATE:a� s-Lkvte
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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY
CONGO
Continuing friction .between
the UN and the Katanga regime of
Moise Tshombe erupted into open
fighting in Elisabethville on 13
September; UN forces Seized key
points in the city, and Premier
Adoula iniLeopOldville has moved
to take over the administration
of Katanga under a:series of:
emergency directiVes.
,
The ShoWdOWn'OetWeen't
UN and TshOmbe� came after UN-
reptesentativeO'Brien had been
unsuccessful in preSSing,TShOmb
into negotiations with Adoula
aimed at reintegrating "inde-
pendent" Katanga-withthe Congo,
Initially, the..UN;appearStiti
have felt that its arrest on
28 August of the KatangaParMY�.S
white officer4W01444.6*5"-
ficient-to topple TShombe'$.tee,..
gimp. TshoMb6' remained.4efiant,
howeVer;/,althongh'in early Sep,,
tember-he:,had indicated that he
was prepared to hold ta110.Aqth
Adoula.-14-,:they Werejleld-Somet:
Where other than in Leopoldville
-Before he left on September
for the Belgiade conerene,:
Adoula reportedly directed army
chief Mobutu to PrePare-Pii;nsjor'
the military occupation Of
northern Katanga by two battaliOns
of Congolese:trOopS..-RePOttSt),
such contingency planningob-
viously made a deep impression
in Elisabethville, where UN
spokesmen had warned"TshOmb
that the .UN Would not interfere
with, and in fact might aid,
military action by Leopoldville
to put an end to Katangan in-
dependence.. In a press Con-
ference on 12 September, TshoMbe
charged the UN with seeking to
destroy Katanga and with foment-
ing-"incidents" in order to ,
justify UN Military intervention.
In a:reference to invasion rumors,
Tshombe warned that if suffi-
ciently pressed he would destroy
Katanga"s"econoMic apparatus"--
an apparent reference to the
copper mines which. are the ,
province's main economic asset..
UN officials denied on 11
and 12 September that they-con-
templated any futher use of '
force in Katanga. They con-.
tinued, however, toseek:a
dissolution of-TShoMWs re-' ,
gime and a re-establishment of
the central government's au-
thority. There is some evidence
that the UN encouraged the.. Mi-
gration of anti-Tshombe Baluba
tribesmen to the Elisabethville
area as a means of neutralizing
pro-TShombe sentiment there.
The American consul quoted
two young Balubas as saying
that they would not return to
their homes until Tshombe was
. overthrown, regardless of what
� safe-conduct guarantees they
Might be offered.
, On 11 September O'Brien
warned Tshombe to go to Leopold-
ville "at all costs," failing
which "serious consequences"
would result. On the following
day, O'Brien presented TShombe
with a virtual ultimatum to
� meet with UN Secretary General
Hammatskjold, who arrived In-
-LeoPoldVille oh 13 September.
'1".he fighting which brought
about TshoMbe's,overthrOW began
at dawn on 13 September, when
UN forces in Elisabethville
movedto'seize. the Katanga
radio station; source of anti,
-UN broadcasts'which had bc-'
casidned protests by O'Brien.
Katangan gendarmerie reportedly
fired on the UN soldiers, and the
resulting fighting spread to the
post office building and the
residence of Vice President Kibwe.
After three hours of fighting,
in which about 40 persons died,
O'Brien announced that the UN
was in control of the city and
that Katanga's secession had
ended. Tshombe, who denounced the
UN action as "treachery," is
believed to have escaped with
Interior Minister Munongo.
Sporadic firing Continued during
the night of 13-14 September,
and there were reports of fight-
ing in Jadotville, near Elisabeth-
vine.
Aaouia was quick to follow up
on the events in Elisabethville.
He announced on 13 September the
appointment of Egide Bocheley-
Davidson--one-time hatchetman for
Gizenga--as "special commissioner"
for Katanga. Adoula,also stated
that new elections would be held
for the Katangan assembly.
�Reiii+ Al
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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY
Certain Katangan army units
may remain loyal to Tshombe and
attempt to wage guerrilla warfare
from the bush. In the absence of
the financial resources which
were at his Command as Katanga
president, however, it is doubtful
whether Tshombe could effectively
oppose the central government.
The Rhodesian Federation has
indicated that it will grant him
and Munoago asylum, and pro-
Katanga sentiment among Europeans
in Rhodesia could take the form
of support for a Katangan gov-
ernment-in exile.
Meanwhile, there are indi-
cations that UN and central
government representatives have
been successful in largely curbing
Gizengist activity in Stanley-
ville. Two of Gizenga's former
lieutenants reportedly are in
hiding to avoid arrest. UN
representative Linner has stated
that in view of Gizenga's appar-
ent decision to remain in Leo-
poldville, the "Stanleyville
problem" has been "practically
solved."
(b)(3)
NR
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