Émile Robert Alphonse Hippolyte Janssens (15 June 1902 – 4 December 1989) was a Belgian military officer and colonial official, best known for his command of the '' Force Publique'' at the start of the

Congo Crisis The Congo Crisis () was a period of Crisis, political upheaval and war, conflict between 1960 and 1965 in the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Republic of the Congo (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo). The crisis began almost ...

. He described himself as the "Little Maniac" () and was a staunch disciplinarian, but his refusal to see Congolese independence as marking a change in the nature of his command has been cited as the immediate cause of the mutiny by the ''Force Publique'' in July 1960 that plunged Congo-Léopoldville into chaos and anarchy.

Background

Émile Janssens served in various military roles during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He served in Abyssinia,

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, the

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France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

and

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. After the war, he taught at the Royal Military Academy in

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. In 1952, he was promoted to the rank of colonel and made responsible for the major military camp at Kamina. On 1 February 1954, Janssens was given command of the '' Force Publique'', the

gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...

of the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...

which also acted as the colony's armed forces. He took over from Auguste Gilliaert who had commanded it since World War II. Since its creation, the entire ''Force Publique'' was tightly segregated along racial lines and, despite being majority black, was commanded entirely by white officers. In 1958, Janssens was further promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General. The period of Janssens' command of the ''Force Publique'' coincided with the expansion of the

African nationalist African nationalism is an umbrella term which refers to a group of political ideologies in sub-Saharan Africa, which are based on the idea of national self-determination and the creation of nation states.wave of riots in Léopoldville led by the '' Alliance des Bakongo'' (ABAKO) party.

1960 Mutiny

With the independence of Congo-Léopoldville on 30 June 1960, Janssens remained in charge of the ''Force Publique''. During the final years of colonial rule, he had firmly opposed initiatives to allow black soldiers into the traditionally white officer corps of the ''Force Publique''. Immediately prior to independence there were still no commissioned black officers in the ''Force'', although about twenty Congolese officer cadets had commenced training at military academies in Belgium. This attitude caused unrest among the black troops under his command, already unsettled by the stress of keeping order during the independence celebrations and seeing themselves as excluded from the benefits of independence. Janssens was determined that the social order created under the Belgian colonial rule would continue even in the new independent state. He called a meeting of the NCOs of the

Léopoldville Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-growing megacities, with an estimated population of 17 million ...

garrison on 5 July 1960, just six days after independence, where, in an attempt to remind the soldiers of their oaths of loyalty and obedience, he wrote on a blackboard, "Before independence = After independence" and gave an accompanying speech in which he argued that independence did not change anything for the army. The message infuriated the soldiers under his command, who within hours mutinied and attacked Europeans resident in the Congo. The mutiny, beginning at Camp Hardy near Thysville, prompted an exodus of Europeans in the country towards

Brazzaville Brazzaville () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo. Administratively, it is a Departments of the Republic of the Congo, department and a Communes of the Republic of the Congo, commune. Constituting t ...

and Stanleyville where the Belgians deployed paratroopers to rescue their citizens. Some have seen the rebellion as a result of Janssens' inflexible mindset. Others suspected, without evidence, that he was deliberately trying to incite a rebellion. Regardless, in the aftermath of the mutiny, Janssens resigned from his post, also resulting from differences with the government of

Patrice Lumumba Patrice Émery Lumumba ( ; born Isaïe Tasumbu Tawosa; 2 July 192517 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic o ...

. Janssaens was replaced by Victor Lundula, who had been hastily promoted to General from the rank of

Sergeant-Major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in th ...

. In the aftermath of the mutiny, the ''Force Publique'' was dissolved and replaced by the '' Armée Nationale Congolaise'' (ANC).

Later life

Janssens returned to Belgium, via the

French Congo The French Congo (), also known as Middle Congo (), was a French colony which at one time comprised the present-day area of the Republic of the Congo and parts of Gabon, and the Central African Republic. In 1910, it was made part of the larger ...

. Returning to Brussels, and professing to be retired, he publicly approached a statue of King Leopold II, the founder of the

Congo Free State The Congo Free State, also known as the Independent State of the Congo (), was a large Sovereign state, state and absolute monarchy in Central Africa from 1885 to 1908. It was privately owned by Leopold II of Belgium, King Leopold II, the const ...

(the antecedent of the Belgian Congo), then bowed his head and announced "Sire, they've messed it all up" ("''Sire, ils vous l'ont cochonné''"). The comment was widely reported and, because it appeared to criticize politicians and their decision to grant independence to the colony, it became a popular slogan for Belgian pro-colonialist groups. In his later years he wrote widely on his experience of the Congo Crisis and of Congolese history of the colonial period in general. He is particularly noted for his 1979 work on the history of the ''Force Publique''. In 1964, Janssens unsuccessfully stood as lead candidate for the minor far-right ''

Parti national The Parti National () was the name taken by the Liberal Party of Quebec, Canada, under the premiership of Honoré Mercier. Origin and beliefs It was founded on November 17, 1885, the day following the execution of Métis Leader Louis Riel. ...

'' (National Party) party in the local elections. The party was closely associated with the neocolonialist '' Amitiés Belgo-Katangaises'' movement which supported the secession of the Katanga from the Congo. From 1983 to 1989, he served as head of the Belgian nationalist organization '' Pro Belgica''.

In popular culture

*In the 2000 film '' Lumumba'', directed by Raoul Peck, Janssens was played by .

Background

1960 Mutiny

Later life

In popular culture

See also

Notes and references

Footnotes

References

Further reading