Katangan separatism and UN intervention

Factual Questions
1

I wonder if anyone has any information on the crisis surrounding the independence of the Belgian Congo in the 60’s, the mutiny of the Force Publique, the Katangan separatist movement that exploded, and the eventual UN intervention in the whole damned mess (I’m mostly just interested in the UN story, but you can never have enough background material). I understand that the UN ended up having to fight mercenaries hired by the US-backed Katangans and that Mobutu Sese Seko ended up in power somehow.

You might wonder why I don’t just go down to the library and read everything related to Patrice Lumumba, the Belgian Congo, ONUC, etc. Well, let me just say that it’s been an awfully cold and wet March Break here in Canada, and I was hoping to be able to research everything from the comfort of my basement. Yes, this is for a school project (for my high school English Writing class). I decided to write a paper on UN intervention in several conflicts (Cyprus, Congo, Yugoslavia). I’ve gathered reams of data on Cyprus and Bosnia, but there seems to be a dearth of information on the Internet about the Congo conflict. By the bye, does anyone know what the rules are on using Internet references (specifically message board answers)? Thank you in advance.

Pretend this has Gwendolyn Brooks’
poem ‘We Real Cool’ here, 'coz it’s
got too many lines to fit comfortably
(too bad, it’s my favourite poem).

2

Pop on over to google and type “Katangan”+“UN” into the search window. There seems to be a fair amount of promising links. Also for references from the internet info check out the thread “I need a Thesis Paper- HELP”.

3

The U.S. is generally credited (?) with putting Mobutu into power.

The Belgian’s are usually credited (?) with supporting Moise Tshombe and his Kantangan independence movement. (Katanga, later Shaba, now Katanga again, I think) is where the copper mines are and therefore where most Belgian investment is concentrated.

I suggest you try to find a copy of the out-of-print book: “Congo Cables : The Cold War in Africa–From Eisenhower to Kennedy” by Madeleine Kalb.

I wouldn’t cite anything I found on a net bulletin board; 50-99% is nonsense depending on which board. If I were a teacher (or a newspaper editor) I wouldn’t permit the use of material from a net bulletin board unless it was corroborated by a reliable source. You are going to have to go to the library.