Modern African Wars (4): The Congo 1960-2002

by Peter Abbott, Raffaele Ruggeri (Illustrator)

Overview

In the 1970s, during the ruinous 30-year dictatorship of General Mobutu, periodic rebellions required the hasty insertion once again of Belgian and French paratroops to save European lives. From the mid-1990s the country split again, becoming the battleground for the largest African war in history, as armies and rebel groups from Rwanda, Angola, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Namibia and other countries crossed into the Congo to support one side or the other, or simply to loot the rich resources. Major operations ended – or paused – in 2002, but the old hatreds and constant lure of the Congo's natural resources continue to boil over into periodic outbreaks. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork and rare photographs, this is the harrowing story of the wars that ravaged the Congo for four decades.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782000785
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	02/20/2014
Series:	Men-at-Arms , #492
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	417,277
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Peter Abbott is a retired university lecturer. He has written or co-authored a number of Men-at-Arms titles for Osprey, including Men-at-Arms 379: Armies in East Africa 1914–18. He is particularly interested in 19th- and 20th-century armies that are less well known to the English-speaking reader.

Raffaele Ruggeri was born in Bologna where he works and lives with his wife. After studying at the Fine Arts Academy he worked in several areas of graphics and design before deciding to devote himself to illustration. He has long been interested in military history and has illustrated a number of books for Osprey.
Peter Abbott is a retired university lecturer. He has written or co-authored a number of Men-at-Arms titles for Osprey, including Men-at-Arms 379: Armies in East Africa 1914–18. He is particularly interested in 19th and 20th century armies that are less well known to the English speaking reader, and he has been collecting material on the various Ukrainian forces for many years.

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Overview - nomenclature - the Force Publique in 1960

Outline Chronology 7

Independence and the Secession Crisis, 1960-63 8

The Force Publique and ANC - Belgian intervention force -ONUC - Katanga - South Kasai and Orientale

The Orientale Revolt, 1964-65 14

The ANC in 1964 - rebel forces: APL 'Simbas'

Formation of 5e Brigade Mécanisée

Foreign interventions: Belgian staff and services - CIA Cubans - Belgian paratroops - Guevara's Cubans

The mercenary mutinies, 1966 & 1967

Mobutu's Congo/Zaire, 1967-96 20

The FAZ in the 1970s: DITRAC - Division 'Kamanyola' -incursions: 'Shaba I', 1977 - 'Shaba II', 1978

The FAZ in the 1980s: presidential security formations ? SARM - the late 1980s: deployments - equipment - police units

The crisis of the early 1990s

The AFDL Revolt, 1996-97 33

Rwandan incursions - rebellion in the east - AFDL advances - fall of Kinshasa

The AFDL alliance forces

Kabila's Congo, 1996-97 - from FAZ to FAC

Africa's first continental war, 1998-2002 36

Kabila's purge of Rwandans in favour of Katangans - revolt in the east - increasing foreign involvement

Major campaigns: the battles for Bukavu, Kitona, Mbuji-Mayi, Ilebo, Ikela, Mbandaka, Pweto

FAC strength and command - units - Kabila's allies

Rebel forces and allied contingents

Plate Commentaries 43

Index 48

Editorial Reviews

The historical context is chaotic andcomplex, but some interesting militaryunits and uniforms are covered...The authorconcisely recounts the convoluted historyof four decades of fighting that havewreaked havoc in the Congo.” —Toy Soldier and Model Figure

From the Publisher