Latest / The History of Belgium: A Small Country with a Giant Colonial Legacy — Fexingo History
Belgium's 1895 Force Publique Mutiny: Congolese Soldiers Rise Up
In 1895, Congolese soldiers of the Force Publique stationed in Luluabourg mutinied against their Belgian officers, sparking a rebellion that spread across the Kasai region. This episode unpacks the causes: brutal discipline, the chicotte whip, broken promises of pay and leave, and the racist caste system that governed King Leopold II's colonial army. We follow the mutineers' leader, Sergeant Mulumba Nsanda, as he unites Tetela and Songye fighters, besieges the Belgian fort at Luluabourg, and holds out for nearly a year against a ruthless counterinsurgency. The revolt exposed the…
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