page_title: Kwilu rebellion
section_title: Kwilu forces and ideology
hierarchical_section_title: Kwilu rebellion / Kwilu forces and ideology
caption_attribution_description: English: Patrice Lumumba (left center) poses with his government outside the Palais de la Nation immediately following his swearing-in ceremony. Joseph-Désiré Mobutu is fifth from the right, in sunglasses. Pierre Mulele is third from the right. Marcel Bisukiro is fourth from the left. Thomas Kanza is eighth from the right, in the back, partially obscured
context_page_description: The Kwilu rebellion was a civil uprising which took place in the West of what is the modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo. The rebellion took place in the wider context of the Cold War and the Congo Crisis. Led by Pierre Mulele, a follower of ousted Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, a faction of rebel Maoists staged a revolt against the government in the Kwilu District. Based around the struggle for independence, the rebellion was encouraged by economic, social, and cultural grievances. Supported by communist China, rebels used mainly guerrilla warfare against government forces. The rebellion was concurrent with the Simba Rebellion occurring in other areas of the Congo during this time. While the rebellion was suppressed in the early months of 1965, it had lasting political impacts, leading to the dissolution of Kwilu as an official province.
context_section_description: Prior to leading the Kwilu rebellion, Pierre Mulele had undergone military training in the Eastern bloc and China. This helped to inform the rebellion's ideology, with the majority of fighters claiming Maoist inspiration. The majority of rebels recruited were of the Mbunda or Pende ethnic groups, many of which had been targets of government oppression. These two ethnic groups comprised over half of the province's population, and played a major role in the victory over the Parti Solidaire Africain in 1960. However, they only held 12 seats in the provincial government, which lead to significant discontent.
  Mulele employed tactics reminiscent of Chinese revolutions, and made his fighters adhere to a strict moral code, emphasising respect for civilians and self-discipline. The rebellion was backed by China, however, there is no evidence of physical support such as weapons, personnel, or ammunition.  While Mulele was strict in his ideology, many of his forces were not. Largely tribal farmers and workers, they were often difficult to control. Many of the people which the Mulele recruited were not only very militant in favoring civil disobedience, but also radical in their attitude toward Belgian colonial authority and the Congolese government. The rebels also used witchcraft extensively to demoralize their opponents. The rebels are reported to have used machetes, poisoned arrows, homemade bombs, and guns as weapons. However, they were limited as to the effectiveness of their weapons. They lacked weaponry, and that which they possessed was often in disrepair.
  Mulele began in 1963 by recruiting young men in the regions of Gungu and Idiofa. He taught them basic politics and military tactics, alongside the help of deserters from the Congolese army. The training included physical preparation, guerilla tactics, espionage, alongside ideological indoctrination. Prior to the start of the rebellion in 1964, a number of rebels were sent to various villages within the Kwilu district to indoctrinate, intimidate, and coerce villagers into supporting the cause.
caption: Mulele (third from the right) with the Lumumba Government, 1960
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