The Congolese National Liberation Front (; FLNC) was a Congolese left-wing armed opposition group and political party that was founded by rebels of Katangese origin and composed of former members of the Katangese Gendarmerie. It was active mainly in

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

and

Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

during the 1970s. The FLNC was formed in Angola under the leadership of Nathaniel Mbumba, with the goal of overthrowing

Mobutu Sese Seko Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa za Banga ( ; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997), often shortened to Mobutu Sese Seko or Mobutu and also known by his initials MSS, was a Congolese politician and military officer ...

, the leader of Zaire. The FLNC is best known for its two attempted invasions of Katanga Province (renamed Shaba) in Zaire in 1977 and 1978. These incursions, which threatened Mobutu's regime, sparked two international wars, Shaba I and Shaba II, further complicating the

Angolan Civil War The Angolan Civil War () was a civil war in Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. It was a power struggle between two for ...

. The FLNC became a member of the political life of Zaire after the year 1991, and then later a member of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

Foundation

The FLNC originated as the Katangese Gendarmerie, the military of the secessionist

State of Katanga The State of Katanga (; ), also known as the Republic of Katanga, was a breakaway state that proclaimed its independence from Republic of Congo (Léopoldville), Congo-Léopoldville on 11 July 1960 under Moïse Tshombe, leader of the local CO ...

during 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 ...

. After the defeat of the Katanga Secession, many of the black Katanga troops were forced into exile in

Portuguese Angola In southwestern Africa, Portuguese Angola was a historical Evolution of the Portuguese Empire, colony of the Portuguese Empire (1575–1951), the overseas province Portuguese West Africa of Estado Novo (Portugal), Estado Novo Portugal (1951–1 ...

in the mid-1960s. Led by Nathaniel Mbumba, they fought for the Portuguese colonial power during the

Angolan War of Independence The Angolan War of Independence (; 1961–1974), known as the Armed Struggle of National Liberation (Portuguese: ''Luta Armada de Libertação Nacional'') in Angola, was a war of independence fought between the Angolan nationalist forces ...

and eventually formed the FLNC in 1967. After the defeat of the Portuguese in 1974, they joined the victorious

MPLA The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (, abbr. MPLA), from 1977–1990 called the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola – Labour Party (), is an Angolan social democratic political party. The MPLA fought against the P ...

. The FLNC did not have any political program other than ending Mobutu's grip on Zaire. FLNC troops were said to have been trained by Cuban advisers; Western authorities believed that the rebel forces were "manipulated by the Soviets" and assisted by officers from

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

. However, more recent research has shown that the Katangan rebels "had few connections with the Cuban army or advisors stationed in Angola", and archival documents suggest that Zairian authorities deliberately exaggerated the threat of Soviet influence to ensure French aid.

Shaba I

The FLNC, numbering about 1500 people, invaded Shaba (the new name of the Katanga) from eastern Angola on 7 March 1977. Seeking to overthrow Mobutu, the FLNC quickly captured Kolwezi, Kasaji, and Mutshatsha. Mobutu appealed to William Eteki of

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

, Chairman of the

Organization of African Unity The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; , OUA) was an African intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 33 signatory governments. Some of the key aims of the OAU were to encourage political and ec ...

, for assistance on 2 April. The French government airlifted 1,500 Moroccan troops into

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

on 10 April. The French reinforcements worked in conjunction with the Zairian Armed Forces to beat back the FLNC with air cover from

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

ian pilots flying French-built FAZ Dassault Mirage 5 fighter jets. The Egyptian-Moroccan force pushed the last of the militants, along with several refugees, into Angola and Zambia by April.Schraeder, Peter J. ''United States Foreign Policy Toward Africa: Incrementalism, Crisis and Change'', 199. Pages 87–88.Constantine Panos Danopoulos and Cynthia Ann Watson. ''The Political Role of the Military: An International Handbook'', 1996. Page 451.Julius Omozuanvbo Ihonvbere, and John Mukum Mbaku. ''Political Liberalization and Democratization in Africa: Lessons from Country Experiences'', 2003. Page 228.Tanca, Antonio. ''Foreign Armed Intervention in Internal Conflict'', 1993. Page 169.

Shaba II

During the Shaba II intervention, 4000 rebels took the city of Kolwezi. Nathaniel Mbumba reportedly lost control of his troops, and they began executing European and Zairean civilians. Most of the regulars soon retreated. The irregulars were driven back into the Angolan People's Republic after the French Foreign Legion intervention during the

Battle of Kolwezi The Battle of Kolwezi was an airborne operation by French and Belgian airborne forces that took place in May 1978 in Zaire during the Shaba II invasion of Zaire by the Front for the National Liberation of the Congo (FLNC). It aimed at rescu ...

Later actions

Mbumba was expelled from the party in 1987. In 1990, Mobutu began a process to restore multi partyism. The FLNC was legalized in 1991 and its members came back to Zaire. During the

First Congo War The First Congo War, also known as Africa's First World War, was a Civil war, civil and international military conflict that lasted from 24 October 1996 to 16 May 1997, primarily taking place in Zaire (which was renamed the Democratic Republi ...

, the FLNC fought on the side of the Zairian army due to shared opposition to the presence of Rwandan troops in Zaire, but subsequently became favourable to the AFDL rebels led by

Laurent-Désiré Kabila Laurent-Désiré Kabila (; 27 November 1939 – 16 January 2001) usually known as Laurent Kabila or Kabila the Father (American English, US: ), was a Congolese rebel and politician who served as the third president of the Democratic Republic of t ...

. The FLNC joined the opposition under

Joseph Kabila Joseph Kabila Kabange ( , ; born 4 June 1971) is a Congolese politician and former military officer who served as the fourth President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2001 to 2019. He took office ten days after the assassination o ...

's presidency.

Foundation

Shaba I

Shaba II

Later actions

See also

Notes

References

Further reading