The Siege of Jadotville
Thursday, March 5, 2020
There is no such thing as a "small battle" or siege. To those involved, every armed encounter is important--even a siege of only five days' duration in which fewer than 160 men hold off around 3,000 can generate enough drama to inspire a Netflix film 45 years later.
A unit of the Irish Army, seconded to the UN, defended the city of Jadotville (now Likasi) in 1961 against a force of Katangese soldiers and mercenaries during the Congo Crisis of 1960-1965.
The Crisis had resulted after the Congo (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo) gained its independence from Belgium. A series of civil wars, it was also a proxy conflict between two superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States, which backed opposing factions as part of the so-called "Cold War."
Independence had been granted before a number of issues had been resolved, resulting in political chaos. Two areas, Katanga and South Kasai, had seceded from the new republic. By the end of July, 1960, over 11,000 peacekeepers had been deployed by the United Nations.
Three of the Congo's four major factions had agreed to a unified government in August of 1961. Katanga was the fourth, and insisted on asserting its claims of independence.
The Katangese Prime Minister, Moïse Tshombe, was supported by troops called the Katangese Gendarmerie. ("Gendarme" comes from the French "gens d'armes," which means "armed people." It is often used today to mean "police officer.")
The Irish soldiers were sent to Jadotville to protect a nearby uranium mining. The Katangese determined that the UN forces were not remaining neutral, but were supporting the coalition government in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa). They sent the Gendarmerie to rout them out.
While under siege, the Irish sent a radio message to headquarters: "We will hold out until our last bullet is spent. Could do with some whiskey."
After five days, they were indeed out of bullets, and food and water. They surrendered peacefully to the attacking forces on September 16, 1961, and were held hostage for approximately one month, after which they returned to combat duty until their six-month assignment was complete.