Evening star., 1961-04-04
CONGO
CONGO
Tshombe Tempers Order
But Throngs Go Berserk
Continued From First Page

army IN the Congo, with many
Of its officers Belgians retained
by Mr.. Tshombe after Belgium
gave the Congo its independ-
ence last June 80.
A platoon Of "a Katanga
troops. led by Belgian officers,
tried to seize the airport before
dawn. A dozen Swedish troops
at the airport thwarted the at
tempt. >
In a rage, Mr.. Tshombe de-
livered his ultimatum and went
direct to the capitals people. He
told a screaming crowd of TO-
600 that the Swedes must quit
the airport within two hours or
face attack by the capitals en-
tire population.
"The Swedes may not leave
the airport in two hours" the
President shouted. "If not, I
will ask all of you. together
with the police and Katanga
army, to march On the airport.
You will fight. you will shoot,
you will recapture the airport"
But before the ultimatum was
to take effect, Mr.. Tshombe
announced he had reached an
agreement on control of the
airport. He reScinded the ulti-
matum. U. N. officials said Mr..
Tshombe had agreed that the
airport should return to the
joint control of Katanga au-
thorities and the United Ma
tions.
Mobs already were on the
road to the airport.
White Woman Attacked
Hemmed in by almost crazed
Africans, who several times
threatened with their long
machetes (knives) this cor
respondent watched attacks on
two U. N. Swedish cars.
The crowd halted the cars
and threatened the Swedes
with their machetes. Others
scampered to the roadside to
gather stones. They began to
stone the Swedes in their cars |
and within minutes the win
dows were smashed on the two |
white vehicles. The occupants
were bleeding.
Some whites with the Ka-
tanga army forced their way
through the mob to rescue the
two Swedes. They forced the
bleeding men to sit up and
drive through the crowd, while |
Katanga troops clambered on
the hoods.
Nov we have made the
U. N. prisoners" a soldier
screamed to the mob.
A short way down the road a
group of angry Africans at
tackled a white woman. Police
went to her rescue, but not
before she was hacked several
times across the body.
Several thousand other Afri-
cans gathered around the de-
serted U. N. headquarters build
ing in Elisabethville. chanting
and screaming, while leaders
exhorted them to tear the
building down. Mr.. Tshombe's
forces earlier had cut off power
and water to the building.
Through the afternoon much
Of the population of Elisabeth
vile seemed to be in an ugly
mood and ready to support Mr..
Tshombe to the hilt. They
waved knives, clubs, iron staffs
and rifles as they roared ap-
proval of Tshombe's anti-U. N.
exhortations.
Sabotage Urged
Mr.. Tshombe, who had to
force his way through a dense
mass to reach his speaking
platform, declared that from
now on the people were to en-
gage in general sabotage"
against all United Nations
troops-"and I don't care how
you do it."
He threatened severe sane
tons against any one, black or
white, who co-operated with
the United Nations. These
sanctions included up to five
years imprisonment.
Mr.. Tshombe had declared
previously that the reinforce
ments of the U. N. forces in
Katanga could mean grave
trouble, and the airport Incl
dent only heightened his anger.
Platoon Surrenders
The 25-man Katanga pla-
toon, all armed with automatic
weapons and headed by a Bel
gian officer, invaded the U. N
controlled airport under the
cover of night but surrendered
without resistance to IL Swed-
ish soldiers who surrounded
them.
The Swedes also disarmed
seven Katanga police at the
airport, held them and the
troops prisoner for four hours,
and then brought them all into
Elisabethville at dawn and re-
leased them.
"The actions of the United
Nations in our country are a
'casus belli' (cause of war;"
Mr.. Tshombe said in an earlier
statement, which ordered mo-
Ibilization of the entire popula-
tion ITO deal with threat of
Foreigners in our state"
Relations have worsened
sharply between the U. N. COM
1nand and Mr.. Tshombe since
the Katanga Army last week
captured the North Katanga
town of Manon from troops Of
Antoine Gizenga's Stanleyville
regime, who seized 1t two
months ago.