Synopses & Reviews
This is the exciting saga of the second largest country in Africa, one which has had a full experience of civil wars, tribal uprisings, revolts, plots against Presidents, and separatist invasions since being suddenly plunged into independence in 1960. The book examines how a UN force stepped in to prevent the mineral-rich province of Katanga from breaking away, staying for nearly four years, after which quarrelling war lords fought for central power. In 1965 Mobutu came to power ruling as a dictator of his Single Party State, until he was finally toppled in 1997 by a Tutsi-back invasion force led by Kabila.
Review
"...a timely work that can shed some light on the ongoing conflict in that country."--Mathurin C. Houngnikpo, African Studies Review
About the Author
Edgar O'Ballance is a freelance journalist and author who has covered over 20 wars and insurgencies.
Table of Contents
The Belgian Congo * Independence and Clashing Personalities * Lumumba the Legend: 1960-61 * ONCU versus Katanga and Others * Prime Minister Tshombe * The NLC in Retreat * Plots, Mutiny, and Revolt * The First Invasion of Shaba: 1997 * The Second Invasion of Shaba * The Single Party State * Genocide in Burundi and Rwanda * The End of the Mobutu Era * The Democratic Republic of the Congo * Bleak Prospects