num_pages: 256
description: The first full account of an African secession that introduced the modern mercenaryand killed the head of the United NationsIn King Leopold IIs infamous Congo Free State at the turn of the century severed hands became a form of currency. But the Belgians dont seem to have a sense of historical shame as they connived for an independent Katanga state in 1960 to protect Belgian mining interests. What happened next was extraordinary. Katanga 1960 tells for the first time the full story of the Congolese province that declared independence and found itself at war with the world. The Congo had no intention of allowing the renegade region to secede and neither did the CIA the KGB or the United Nations. It was a fantastically uneven battle. The UN fielded soldiers from twenty nations America paid the bills and the Soviets intrigued behind the scenes. Yet to everyones surprise the new nations rag-tag army of local gendarmes jungle tribesmen and controversially European mercenaries refused to give in. For two and a half years Katanga the scrawniest underdog ever to fight a war held off the world with guerrilla warfare two-faced diplomacy and some shady financial backing. It even looked as if the Katangese might win.
language: English
title: Katanga 1960-63: Mercenaries, Spies and the African Nation that Waged War on the World
publisher: The History Press Ltd.