The rebellion, located in the east of the country, was led by the followers of Patrice Lumumba, who had been ousted from power in 1960 by Joseph Kasa-Vubu and Joseph-Désiré Mobutu and subsequently killed in January 1961 in Katanga.
Di timur negara tersebut, pemberontakan tersebut dipimpin oleh para pengikut Patrice Lumumba yang dilengserkan dari kekuasaan pada 1960 oleh Joseph Kasa-Vubu dan Joseph-Désiré Mobutu dan kemudian dibunuh pada Januari 1961 di Katanga.