Police force

The Police force (FP) was the denomination of the armed forces of the territory of current the Democratic republic of Congo since 1885 (whereas the territory was known under the name of State independent of Congo) until the beginning of the Second republic of the DRC in 1965.

Beginnings under the State independent of Congo

The Police force was created in 1885 by Camille Coquilhat when King Léopold II of Belgium, which had just taken possession of the country under the name of State independent of Congo, ordered from his minister for the Interior matters to create a military force and police force for the State. Starting from 1886, Léopold sent many Belgian officers detached to set up the announced military force. To make sure the control of this Force, the body of the officers was composed officers Belgian but such Swedish, Danish, and other Europeans, of which some were in the search of African adventures or easy fortune. One of the white officers, called Kurtz of Polish origin was charged to subject Ethnie S or Communauté S which did not want to be subjected to the colonial administration. It then ordered with its soldiers to kill the resistant ones and out of bar tin for each head of enemy paid them whom it reported. Kurtz builds a fence around its garden with the heads. The autochtones of the village where he lived, frightened then agreed to convert with Christianity.

The warrant officers were African of varied origins. Many these “recruits” were cannibals resulting from the wildest tribes of the high-Congo. Léopold II bought also slaves with Tippu Tipp, the slaves, known consequently under the name of released , were released if they agreed to engage for four years in the police force, whereas others had been kidnapped in their childhood at the time of raids on their village, and had been raised in catholic missions where they received a military education near to slavery. Others still were of origin zanzibarite or coming from colonized in the past coastal areas. The Police force was built on the basis of defense of the territory and the fight against the merchants of slaves. Under Léopold II, one of the roles of the FP was however to ensure the economic profitability of the territory, by the exploitation of the rubber and the Ivoire, in particular by ensuring by the control of the forced labor the production quotas with firearms and the Chicotte or fimbo - a made whip of thin straps of skin of Hippopotame. All the Congoleses who exceeded the colonial payment received from 50 to 100 whiplashes, number which was then lowered to 20. The blows could obviously be mortals. The FP regularly took hostages, generally women, in order to force their husband to work to fill the required production quotas. The women were sometimes violated. Many villages were set fire to, and the hands of the corpses were to be crossed and brought back to justify the expenditure in ammunition. With many abuses, hands being regularly crossed to alive individuals to justify ammunition spent differently.

The first mission of the Police force was to ensure the seizure on the territory of the EIC. The principal operation was the war which it carried out against Arabo-Swahilis is country of 1892 with 1894, war carried out by Francis Dhanis. Louis Napoleon Chaltin will in addition occupy the Enclave of Lado in 1897.

In a surprising way little, the Police force had to face many problems of discipline during its history. During first years, the mutinies on behalf of the black soldiers were frequent (see in particular Révolte of Batetela), and at the beginning of the Années 1890, the essence of the oriental party of the territory was with the hands of slave Arabic (the control of this part of the territory was gradually taken again about the middle of the decade)). The problems of organization with white officers were also frequent. Number of them used indeed more the capacity which was given to them on the territory for their personal profit that to serve the interests of the State. For Stanley, the control of certain officers was the main issue for which it was necessary to face.

Some famous officers and soldiers

Romanian Leon, Guillaume van der Kerckhoven, Mathieu Pelzer, Kandolo, Yamba-Yamba, Lindsay Burke, Camille Coquilhat, Edmond Van der Meersch, P. Ermens, A. Gilliaert

Belgian Congo

After the resumption of the State independent of Congo by the Belgian government in 1908, the Police force was organized in 21 companies distinct more from the separate units of artillery and genius. Each company was to include/understand at least 4 white officers, and more than 150 askaris (African soldiers). 8 Congolese officers supplemented manpower. These Belgian and Congolese officers quickly took the place of Europeans of any origines which constituted the body of the officers under the independent State. The troops of the Katanga were made up in an autonomous force of 6 companies and a unit cyclist.

In 1914, the Police force, included/understood approximately 17.000 soldiers (forces katangaises included). The majority were useful in small garrisons assigned to a territory, with a role of police force. Only the units katangaises were organized in battalions, with a military function first. Efforts were accomplished in order to cure excesses of the time of the independent State, and to transform the FP into a more conventional colonial force, better disciplined, but keeping an inevitable repressive role. The majority of the soldiers were armed with a single rifle Albini 11mm. They continued to carry a blue uniform with one fez red, replaced by a khaki uniform over the period 1915-17. The enrôlement annual one was based on a system of quota of recruits (voluntary or not) fixed by district, the not-volunteers being indicated of office by the chiefs of the villages. It was one 7 years duration.

During the First World War, units of the Police force reinforced fought the German colonial Empire with the Cameroun, with the Rwanda, the Burundi and on the territory of current the Tanzania. It gained various military successes, gaining the respect of their Portuguese and British allies and their German enemies. From 1914 at the end of 1917,58 European soldiers, 1895 Congolese soldiers and 7124 carriers perished with the combat or of exhaustion.

For the remaining period under Belgian authority, the Police force continued its double military role and of police force, although a separate gendarmerie was instituted in 1959,10 months before the independence of Congo, resulting from the troops of the territorial service of the FP. During the Second world war, detachments fought successfully at the side of the British forces in Abyssinie Italy where Italian 23e D.I went to the Belgian and Congolese troops. In 1943 a Belgian task force was sent to the the Middle East where it was re-equipped, D-involved and renovated on the basis of British standard. It became the 1st Belgian Congo Brigade Group. But in 1944 the decision was made not to employ it on the European theater of operation, and to return it to Belgian Congo. This decision would be due to the too low level of European framing of this Brigade taking into consideration criterion of the British army.

Between 1945 and 1960, Belgium continued to use the Police force like a body of police force crossed of the people, with units mixed including/understanding to the maximum 25% of natives of the province where they were useful. Disciplined and demanding body, the Police force impressed the visitors with his neat and serious appearance, but maintained a culture segregation, encouraged by its Belgian officers, who led to violent tensions as of proclaimed independence in June 1960. The chicotte itself was abolished only in 1955. In 1957, for the first time, the annual quota of recruitment was finally made only of volunteers. In September 1959 a School of Adjudants opened its doors with the profit of the Congolese soldiers who, until this date, could not exceed the rank of 1st quartermaster-sergeant. The Belgian government did not take at time measurements aiming to the constitution of a sufficient body officers to direct the FP, and with independence, only 20 African juniors were in schooling.

Post-independence

The July 5th 1960, is 5 days after the proclamation of independence, of the troops of the Police force stationed close to Léopoldville mutinèrent themselves against their white officers (who were remained with the head of the army corps) and attacked many European and Congolese targets. The fact at the origin of this rebellion would have been remarks made with the African soldiers by the Belgian general ordering the FP with the principal camp of the surroundings of Léopoldville. He would have declared to them that independence would not bring any change in their role or statute. The intention of the Jansen general was above all to recall that the discipline was to be maintained within the Police force, but the speech was included/understood like a negation of lately acquired independence. The impact was disastrous. The insurrection was at the origin of a panic among the civil population of European origin (primarily Belgian). Number of them turned over to Europe, and the new government lost its credibility while being unable to contain the mutineers and to prevent their exactions. The Police force was débaptisée in National army Congolese (ANC), and its command was Africanized.

This outburst of violence led immediately to an intervention of the Belgian army to ensure the safety of its citizens and more generally of Europeans. This return of the old colonial power was an obvious violation of national sovereignty, this return having intervened without the agreement of the Congolese government. The crisis which followed saw the rise to power of Joseph Mobutu, a former quartermaster-sergeant of the Police force which had been put at the head of the army by Patrice Lumumba, and which ends up seizing definitively the power in 1965, establishing a dictatorial kleptocratie. The mode of Mobutu was maintained until in 1997.

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