United People's Republic of Gabon-Congo

Fédération de la République populaire unie du Gabon et du Congo

The **United People's Republic of Gabon-Congo** (*French: **République populaire unie du Gabon-Congo***), officially called the **Federation of the United People's Republic of Gabon and the Congo** (*French: **Fédération** **de la République populaire unie du Gabon et du Congo***), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by the Republic of Camerun and Portuguese colony of Fernando Po and Rio Muni to the north, and the People's Republic of the Congo to the south.

It is a Totalist regime, and an observer member of the Third International.

## History

### Kingdom of Kongo

The United People's Republic of Gabon-Congo has its origins in the renewed Kingdom of Kongo, a pretender monarchist regime that emerged after the collapse of German Mittelafrika. The Kingdom of Kongo, along with allied with the Teke Kingdom in Gabon which aligned itself with it, was controversial among its people and viewed as a betrayal of the efforts for African liberation, as the two countries aligned with the French Republic and the Entente.

Amid the collapse of Mittelafrika, the Kingdom of Kongo fought for legitimate control over the former Belgian Congo against the neighboring Kivu Clique, which formed the Republic of the Congo. Casualties remained high as farmers were overworked to support the war effort; both factions isolated from outside trade due to the ongoing Second Weltkrieg.

### Revolution

As the First Congo War ended in stalemate, widespread famine and dissatisfaction against the self-proclaimed monarchies led to the farmers and working class, with the support of the tirailleurs that were employed by the Kongo armed forces, revolting against the government in 1951. Among these arose the Société Amicale des Originaires du Kongo (SAOK), founded and organized by influential anticolonial trade unionist André Matswa. The revolution succeeding against the unpopular government, Matswa organized the SAOK into the Revolutionary Society of the Free Congo.

Matswa organized the People's Republic of the Congo, and swiftly intervened in the Teke Kingdom, the former Kongo ally, which was undergoing a similar revolt. The two countries formed the United People's Republic of Gabon-Congo, a Marxist state dedicated to uniting the colonies of not only the former Belgian Congo, but of the former French Equatorial Africa as well.

### Post-revoution

Two years after the sudden and violent formation of Gabon-Congo, the Republic of the Congo to the east, which had initially supported the revolution as an opportunity to weaken the state, now faced crisis after the union of the two states. Intervening to dissolve the federation, the Second Congo War broke out with another invasion from the east. Both sides suffered heavy casualties as the war dragged on for three years, ending in yet another stalemate with minimal territorial changes.

However, the Second Congo War proved that a sub-Saharan revolution could remain successful. With the support of the Third International, Gabon-Congo was able to rebuild and fortify its border, vowing to avenge its losses and end the war for once and for all against the new allies of European colonialism.