Operation Grandslam

rdf:langString Operation Grandslam

rdf:langString

rdf:langString Operation Grandslam

rdf:langString right

rdf:langString #c6dbf7

rdf:langString Swedish UN peacekeepers led by Major Sture Fagerström plan their attack on the town of Kamina during the operation

rdf:langString Supported by:

rdf:langString Congo-Léopoldville

rdf:langString ONUC * 25px Ethiopia * * * * * Supported by:

rdf:langString Moïse Tshombe

rdf:langString Norbert Muke

rdf:langString Reginald Noronha

rdf:langString Operation Grandslam

rdf:langString There were no reports of civilian deaths confirmed by the UN during the operation, but statistics are ultimately unknown.

rdf:langString the Congo Crisis

rdf:langString "Every morning I prayed for the sparing of lives. In the course of my meditation, I practiced metta and karuna to all in the Congo, without distinction as to race, religion, or colour. I realised, however, that the moral principals of my religion had to be adjusted to the practical responsibilities of my office."

rdf:langString "Some may loosely say that there was a 'third round' in Katanga. That was not the case. There would have been no fighting at all if the Katangese Gendarmerie had not made it unavoidable by indulging in senseless firing for several days. In view of the results of the ONUC operation, there may be some who would be inclined to refer to a United Nations 'military victory.' I would not like this to be said. The United Nations is not waging war against anyone in that province."

rdf:langString Secretary-General Thant's comments on his personal attitude towards ONUC action in the Congo

rdf:langString ~13,000 troops

rdf:langString Katanga Province reintegrated into Congo-Léopoldville

rdf:langString Operation Grandslam was an offensive undertaken by United Nations peacekeeping forces from 28 December 1962 to 15 January 1963 against the forces of the State of Katanga, a secessionist state rebelling against the Republic of the Congo in central Africa. The Katangese forces were decisively defeated and Katanga was forcibly reintegrated into the Congo. The United Nations had tried several times to reconcile the government of the Congo with the State of Katanga, which had declared independence under Moïse Tshombe with Belgian support in 1960. Though initially limiting its actions, the United Nations Operation in the Congo became increasingly impatient towards Katanga and Tshombe, drawing up plans to resolve the situation through force. Tshombe continuously violated agreements he had made with the United Nations and the Congolese government by building up his forces and bringing foreign mercenaries into the conflict. The situation reached a breaking point in December 1962 when Katangese gendarmes attacked peacekeeping forces in Katanga. United Nations Secretary-General U Thant authorised a retaliatory offensive to eliminate secessionist opposition. Reinforced by aircraft from Sweden, United Nations peacekeepers completed the first phase of the operation, securing the Katangese capital, Élisabethville, and destroying much of the Katangese Air Force by the end of the year. In early January, the United Nations forces turned their attention towards remaining strongholds in southern Katanga. Indian peacekeepers surpassed their orders and crossed the Lufira River ahead of schedule, generating panic behind the Katangese lines and embarrassing the United Nations leadership. Tshombe, realising that his position was untenable, approached Thant for peace. On 17 January 1963, he signed an instrument of surrender and declared the Katangese secession to be over. The central government reorganised the provincial administration of Katanga to weaken its political structure. Tshombe initially participated but feared his arrest and fled to Europe. Many Katangese gendarmes and their mercenary leaders took refuge in Angola to reorganise, acting under orders from Tshombe. In 1964, Tshombe was welcomed back to the Congo and made Prime Minister. He immediately called on his forces to suppress communist revolts in the east and centre of the country. This they accomplished but Tshombe was dismissed from his post in 1965, ultimately losing all contact with them following his imprisonment in Algeria in 1967. Relations between the new central government and the gendarmes soured and, after a mutiny was repressed, they returned to Angola. An insurgency for Katangese secession continues to the present day.