Force Publique (Civ5)/Civilopedia

The Force Publique served as a gendarmerie and military force in the Belgian Congo from 1908 through 1960, when it became the core of the Congolese Army upon independence. Made up of ethnically mixed Africans drawn mainly from the Haut-Congo, Zanzibar and other Belgian colonies, the Force Publique was officered by whites, either Belgian Army veterans or European mercenaries. Scattered across the region in small detachments, the force operated against poachers, Arab slave-traders, and rebellious tribes, as well as serving in the East African campaigns in both world wars.