The 1960 Katanga Secession: Congo's Richest Province Splits

The History of Belgium: A Small Country with a Giant Colonial Legacy — Fexingo History · Aug 10, 2026 · 4m · transcript

When the Belgian Congo gained independence on June 30, 1960, it lasted barely a week before Katanga's richest province declared its own independence. This episode of The History of Belgium follows the secession led by Moise Tshombe and his Conakat party, backed by Belgian mining interests in the Union Minière. We look at the political maneuvering in Élisabethville, the role of the Belgian military mission, and the figure of Katanga's self-declared president. We trace the UN intervention, the murder of Patrice Lumumba, and the eventual reintegration in 1963. This is a story of Cold…