1960 – 1965
The Congo’s abrupt transition from Belgian colonial rule produced an army mutiny, an unauthorized Belgian intervention, mineral-rich secessions supported by Belgian and foreign commercial interests, and a constitutional crisis culminating in Patrice Lumumba’s assassination. The large ONUC mission helped end Katanga’s secession, while rebellions and foreign intervention continued before Mobutu seized power in 1965.
Chapter-by-chapter narrative with maps, primary sources, and key events.
Explore battles on a live map with a timeline slider and territory overlays.
Deep-dive into every major engagement — commanders, casualties, significance.
Biographical flip cards with real portraits, facts, and full biography pages.
Trace each figure's full life journey — birth, education, battles, and death — on a live map.
Scroll-driven visualization of casualties — each dot a thousand lives.
Weapons, war machines, and the military innovations that defined how this conflict was fought.
Cause-and-effect chains tracing the war's long shadow on history.
War crimes, massacres, and the darkest chapters of this conflict — documented for history.
The Congo’s abrupt transition from Belgian colonial rule produced an army mutiny, an unauthorized Belgian intervention, mineral-rich secessions supported by Belgian and foreign commercial interests, and a constitutional crisis culminating in Patrice Lumumba’s assassination. The large ONUC mission helped end Katanga’s secession, while rebellions and foreign intervention continued before Mobutu seized power in 1965.
The Congo Crisis was fought from 1960 to 1965.
The Congo Crisis was fought between Central Government & UN (ONUC) and Katanga, Secessionists & Rebels.
An estimated 100,000 people died in The Congo Crisis, including roughly 40,000 military and 60,000 civilian deaths. Figures are scholarly estimates and vary by source.
Major engagements included The Simba Rebellion, The South Kasai Secession and Massacres, Operation Dragon Rouge (Stanleyville), and The Secession of Katanga.