Congo Crisis (1962) | Rare Footage from the Frontlines in Katanga

In 1960, the Congo gained independence from Belgium. Shortly after, the province of Katanga, backed by Belgian business interests and white mercenaries, declared secession. The subsequent political crisis prompted the United Nations to launch a peacekeeping mission (ONUC) to stabilise the country, support the government in Léopoldville (Kinshasa), and limit foreign interference. By 1962, thousands of UN troops were deployed, and Baluba refugees were evacuated to Kasai amid ethnic violence.

Although open conflict subsided, a tense standoff continued between UN and Katangese forces. Cold War tensions further complicated the situation: the United States backed Leopoldville, while Britain and Belgium held economic stakes in Katanga’s Union Minière mines.

ITN's Reginald Bosanquet reported from Élisabethville (Lubumbashi) in 1962, a year before Katanga’s eventual reintegration into the Congo.

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