Abel Kabasele

Flag of the Belgian Congo (1877-1960)

Flag of the Congo (1966-1971)

Democratic Republic of the Congo (1964-1967)

2nd Groupement (1945-1967)

Congo Crisis

- South Kasai 1960

- Katanga 1961-1963

- Kwilu 1964

Simba Rebellion

- Congo 1964-1965

**Abel François Kabasele Masombo** (November 1, 1918 - March 4, 2005) was a Congolese soldier and commander who fought in World War II, the Congo Crisis, and the Simba Rebellion.

## Early life and family

Abel Kabasele was born in 1920 in the town of Basoko in Stanleyville Province on the Congo River in the Belgian Congo to Jason Kabasele and Elizabeth Mutombo. His grandfather, Philippe (1870-1946), had been a victim of the policy of dismemberment while working as a laborer in the Congo Free State's rubber industry, and as a result, could not work. Growing up, Abel worked for his family as soon as he was physically able. He received some limited formal education from the Jesuits, and by twelve could even read and write in a rudimentary manner.

In 1934, at the age of fourteen, Kabasele journeyed south to the Katanga region to find work in the mines. For six years, he labored in the Shinkolobwe uranium mine, working for the *Union Minière du Haut Katanga*. In 1938, he was implicated in a miner's strike and spent a year in prison before returning to work.

With his pay reduced as a result of the strike, Kabasele wished to quit the mines but could not find work elsewhere. This changed in 1940, when Belgium was invaded by Nazi Germany, and the Congo went to war. The colonial authorities looked to expand the Congolese military force, the *Force Publique*, as the regular Belgian Army had been decisively defeated by the Germans in May. Kabasele enlisted in June 1940.

## Military service

### World War II

Though Belgium was under occupation, the Congo remained with the Allies. Late in 1940, just after Kabasele had finished his basic training, the colonial government decided to send an expedition out to fight against the Italian Empire in East Africa. Kabasele's unit, the 11th Infantry Battalion of the 3rd Brigade, was committed to the expedition, which began in early 1941.

The troops assembled at Stanleyville, and then journeyed northeast to Aketi, then to Mungbere, then Watsa, the last stop on the road out of the Congo. They passed through the town of Juba in the Sudan, crossing the White Nile River towards Kurmuk before entering Ethiopia in March 1941. Their first mission was to attack and take Asosa, held by the Italians. Corporal Kabasele and the Congolese soldiers took the town in a surprise attack, routing the Italian troops. After this, the Congolese made a trek through the harsh Sudanese desert to Gambela, where the battalion was to make another attack. Storming the town and the adjacent hills, Kabasele and his men drove the Italians from their positions in another rapid assault. After this, the Italians withdrew to Saïo, their main stronghold in the area. After remaining in a defensive posture for some time, the Belgian-Congolese force moved out in April to encircle the Italians, beginning the Siege of Saïo. Kabasele took part in a battle at Bortai Brook, holding the line against an Italian counterattack. For the rest of the month, the Congolese troops maintained the siege of the Saïo plateau. On June, Corporal Kabasele and a small party of soldiers attempted to take Mogi and sever the Italians' supply line, but this assault was repulsed. During the stalemate periods, Kabasele took part in many ambushes and raids, partly to disguise the Allies' numerical inferiority. In July, the Congolese brigade was ready to make the final assault on Saïo. Crossing the Bortai Brook, Kabasele's unit attacked and captured several hills, driving out the Italians and preventing them from retreating to their base. Just as the unit was preparing to attack the mountain itself, the Italians surrendered.

With the Allies victorious against the Italian Empire in East Africa, the Congolese were engaged in occupation duties, including the handling of prisoners. After about a month of this, the 3rd Brigade returned home to the Congo. Kabasele was promoted to sergeant for gallantry in action during the campaign.

The Force Publique was soon given a new mission. Shortly after arriving home, Sergeant Kabasele's unit was ordered to journey west to British Nigeria. They ended the trek in Lagos, in which they were mostly occupied with basic garrison duty, but also preparing for military action. To the west was French Dahomey, one of the colonies which maintained loyalty to the Vichy regime and was thus an enemy of the Allies. Kabasele and the rest of the Congolese force prepared to invade the small country and bring it under Allied control, but the order was never given and the troops remained in Lagos.

Early in 1943, Sergeant Kabasele was ordered to take part in another expedition. Moving northeast, the troops established a route which had never before been taken by such a large body of men. The Congolese soldiers ventured from Lagos north to Fort Lamy in French Chad, then once again through the Sudan to reach Cairo in Egypt. The unit, redesignated the 1st Belgian Congo Brigade Group, engaged in more garrison duties, moving throughout Egypt and Mandatory Palestine wherever they were needed. By November 1944, the 1st Brigade was ordered to return home to the Congo, without having seen any combat.

Upon his return home, Sergeant Kabasele was ordered to suppress various miner's revolts in Katanga and Kasaï. Though he sympathized with the miners, who were protesting labor conscription, insufficient pay, and abysmal working conditions, he had no choice but to obey orders and was heavily involved in arresting and detaining the strikers, putting down the strikes at each individual mine. Early in 1945, his unit was also involved in suppressing a riot started by dockworkers in the port city of Matadi on the western coast. Sergeant Kabasele ended the war in Léopoldville, having been assigned to the 13th Infantry Battalion of the 2nd Groupement, the main force of the garrison there.

### Postwar and pre-independence

The years between 1945 and 1960 were a turbulent time in the Belgian Congo. Certain token concessions were made to the black majority while political activity increased, with activists demanding independence for the Congo. At the same time, urbanization also began to take effect, and many of Kabasele's family members moved into Stanleyville proper to purchase an apartment and find work.

While all of this was occurring, Kabasele remained in the Léopoldville garrison, where he was mostly involved with training new recruits. By 1950, he was a 1st Sergeant-Major, one of the highest ranks attainable for a black soldier. He sent most of his pay to his family in Stanleyville. The *Force Publique* during this era was mostly cut off from the population they served, with soldiers of all tribes serving together no matter what province they were from. As time went on, it became clear that Belgian domination over the Congo would not last.

In January 1959, a cancelled political rally sparked widespread rioting and looting from massive crowds in Léopoldville. Sergeant Major Kabasele and his men were immediately deployed to stop the violence, but this was no ordinary protest. It took weeks of cracking down on the mobs for order to be restored, and the riots had demonstrated that Belgian rule would have to come to an end soon.

### Independence

In June 1960, after negotiations concluded, Belgian rule was finally ended and the Republic of the Congo was proclaimed, with elections held which elected Patrice Lumumba as Prime Minister. However, the social order did not immediately change, and many whites retained positions of power in the country. The garrison at Léopoldville was no exception. Black NCOs, including Sergeant Kabasele, who had been promised steady promotion into the officer corps, were shocked to learn that their white officers had no intention of giving up their power and would retain the old racial hierarchy. In July, there was a widespread mutiny of the troops, attacking white officers and European civilians and damaging their property. Though he was angry at his officers and led a protest, Kabasele sought to curb the worst excesses of the mutiny. He successfully talked down several soldiers from executing white civilians and tried, somewhat less successfully, to turn the riot into a formal protest to the government. The government decided to reform the *Force Publique* to stop the violence. Every black NCO was promoted at least one full rank, with Kabasele being directly appointed Captain in the new Congolese National Army.

### Congo Crisis

The independence of the Congo also resulted in the emergence of two breakaway states, Katanga and South Kasai. With the four-way division of the country and the army, the United Nations sent in peacekeepers to restore order. At the same time, the army loyal to the republic planned to bring down the secessionist groups. In August 1960, Captain Kabasele and his men were ordered south to invade South Kasai and bring it back under Congolese control. The Congolese soldiers were already engaged in fighting Katangese troops in the region, and the destruction of the smaller state would deal a blow to the secessionists. Captain Kabasele's men invaded the country, encountering limited resistance from Kasai forces and occupying the capital of Bakwanga in days. This offensive definatively put an end to the seccesionist state by September. However, Kabasele and the Congolese troops soon got involved in ethnic conflicts between Baluba and Bena Lulua tribesmen, and though nominally neutral, soon began to use harsh measures against the Luba people.

The second offensive against the State of Katanga began in January 1961, with Captain Kabasele and his men invading the north of the country, pushing back the Katangese forces with the help of Baluba tribesmen. The UN forces also assisted, launching operations deep into Katangese territory and throwing away all pretense of neutrality. Political shakeups in the government and the army made it increasinly hard for the soldiers to prosecute their mission, and the UN began to take over the war against Katanga. Nevertheless, Captain Kabasele, a capable soldier who considered himself loyal to his country rather than a political faction, fought against the secessionists irrespective of the coups and counter-coups occurring constantly. Beginning in December 1962, the UN began Operation Grandslam, the final offensive against Katanga. Though the ANC was not completely involved, Kabasele did what he could in support of the UN troops, pushing deeper into the country and defeating the Katangese at a number of key engagements. By January 1963, negotiations were underway and Katanga was brought back under Congolese control.

In January 1964, leftist rebels rose up in Kwilu province, targeting Christian missions and foreign property. The ANC was sent in, and Captain Kabasele and his men fought to contain their advance. However, the rebels enjoyed popularity in certain villages, and it proved difficult to isolate them from their support bases. The fighting carried on throughout the year, though the Kwilu rebels never conquered any territory outside of Kwilu itself.

### Simba Rebellion

However, a bigger problem was surfacing in the center of the country. The Simbas, a group of Marxist rebels encouraged by the uprising in Kwilu, began to expand their presence in the country. Based in neighboring countries on the Congo's eastern border, they crossed over and began to attack ANC positions. Captain Kabasele and his men were rushed to the east of the country to hold the area around Lake Tanganyka from the advancing Simbas. In June 1964, they came in contact with the rebels, and although Kabasele's men fought hard to hold their ground, they were defeated and forced to evactuate Moba. Retreating into Maniema Province shortly after, they fought another failed defensive campaign that ended with the rebels capturing Kindu in July. Though Kabasele's troops were well-equipped, well-led, and motivated, the disintegration of the rest of the ANC and their refusal to fight mean that he could do little to stop the advancing rebels. By August, Stanleyville had fallen. Kabasele's soldiers retreated to Kasai Province in a vain attempt to hold it, but the situation was much the same.

With the rebels advancing on all fronts and the country on the brink of collapse, a new government was formed and western mercenaries brought in to fight the rebels. Though Kabasele deeply resented the presence of foreign mercenaries in his country, he recognized that he did not have much of a choice but to join forces with them. Linking up with the mercenaries, Captain Kabasele's troops reentered Kasai to fight the Simbas. In a battle near Luluabourg, the combined force decisively defeated the rebels, inflicting heavy casualties. They then proceeded to drive on Albertville, capturing the city. With Albertville under government control, the mercenaries and the ANC began their final offensive to crush the rebellion. Fighting their way towards Stanleyville, Kabasele and his men slowly reduced the Simba's defensive positions as they came closer and closer to the capital as part of a mulit-pronged operation. In conjunction with a Belgian airborne operation, the ANC retook the capital in November. The loss of Stanleyville was the beginning of the end for the rebellion.

In early 1965, the ANC launched some of its last offensives against Simba holdouts. Captain Kabasele's troops pushed into South Kivu and decisively defeated the rebels wherever they found them and capturing Fizi-Baraka with their territory gone and the Communist powers which backed them cutting off support, the Simba rebellion crumbled.

### Stanleyville mutinies

In November 1965, Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, leader of the ANC, came to power in a coup d'état and declared himself head of state for five years. Kabasele, initially supportive of Mobutu, was promoted to Major in December. In July 1966, groups of mercenaries rose up in Stanleyville to bring down Mobutu. The ANC was sent in, and Major Kabasele's troops decisively crushed the mutineers.

A year later, in July 1967, there was a second revolt, brought on by mostly the same motives. This uprising was much harder to put down, and Kabasele's men fought hard against the rebels for four months until, in November, the ANC drove them out of Bukavu and into neighboring Rwanda, where they were promptly captured.

### Retirement and exile

Though initially a supporter of Mobutu, Kabasele slowly began to change his mind in view of the president's flagrant abuses of power and restructuring of Congolese culture. After retiring from the ANC in December 1967, Kabasele remained at his home in Stanleyville. In 1970, however, worried about the future of the country, Kabasele decided to go abroad, and travelled to Brussels, Belgium.

## Later life

From his apartment in Brussels, Abel Kabasele followed closely the events in the Congo, renamed Zaire in 1971. He began to strongly dislike Mobutu, his corruption, cronyism, and the policy of Zairianisation.

In 1974 he married Rose-Marie Mabiala, a Belgian of partial Congolese descent.

In 1997, after the First Congo War and the overthrow of Mobutu, Kabasele and his wife returned to the new Congo, settling in Bukavu in South Kivu. In 1998, he was elected to the Provincial Assembly of South Kivu, where he served until 2003 when he resigned out of health concerns.

On March 4, 2005, Abel Kabasele passed away.

### Views

During the 1950s, Kabasele got involved with the *Mouvement National Congolais* and was a supporter of Patrice Lumumba's vision for independence, however, he could not voice his political opinions while serving in the army. Though he wished to remain apolitically loyal to his country during the period of civil strife in the 1960s, he felt himself forced to participate in factionalism and thus settled on Joseph-Désiré Mobutu as the least worst option. He objected to Moïse Tshombe's government, viewing the man as a traitor who should not have been allowed to regain power again in any capacity, and hated the president's willingness to bring foreign mercenaries into the country (however, facing a seemingly unstoppable rebellion, he compromised).

Kabasele had a unique relation with Mobutu and Mobutism. From 1965 to his departure in 1970, his views on the philosophy decreased from reverence for a movement of national rejuvination to contempt for a tin-pot dictator pushing his way on a still-weak nation. He supported the AFDL in the First Congo War and privately supported the anti-government rebels in the Second Congo War.

Kabasele was also a practicing Roman Catholic and remained so even in the face of Mobutu's campaign against the church.

## Equipment

As a soldier in Belgian service, Kabasele carried the Mauser M1889/36 bolt-action rifle during the fighting in Ethiopia and service around Africa during World War II. During the 1950s, he took an FN FAL self-loading rifle and Pistole Automatique Browning GP 35, which he used during all his conflicts in the 1960s.