CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY: REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

• Document Type: FOIA
• Keywords: CONGO
• Keywords: KATANGA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0000202783
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: June 24, 2015
• Document Release Date: November 17, 2011
• Case Number: F-2009-00914
• Publication Date: October 13, 1960

COPY NO. 67
OCR NO.4899/60
13 October 1960
CURRENT
INTELLIGENCE
WEEKLY
SUMMARY
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
I I I OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
NO C ;ANNGE IN: CLASS. u
0 DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TO: TS
RUTH: HR 70-2
14 MAY uviv-r)
1980 10
APPROVED FOR RELEASED DATE:
11-02-2011
 SEC T
The power struggle in Leo-
poldville remains stalemated,
but army chief Joseph Mobutu
is determined to arrest Lu-
mumba. His-efforts have led
to a very tense situation, and
any implementation of his
threats to use force would
bring him into open conflict
with the UN Command. On 12
October he reportedly had
about 1,000 Congolese troops
in the vicinity of Lumumba's
residence.
His first effort to send
a Congolese Army unit to arrest
the former premier was frus-
trated by the UN guard---largely
Ghanaian- at his official res-
idence. Mobutu then demanded
that the UN yield Lumumba, but
was turned down on 11 October.
A government spokesman then
threatened a "nation wide up
rising" if Lumumba were not
surrendered. However., UN rep-
resentative Dayal has stated
that Lumumba can can be surrend-
ered only'if parliament with--
draws his parliamentary immunity.
Mobutu then charged the UN of-
ficial with a "false interpreta-
tion" of Congolese law, and
Dayal countered that the move
to arrest Lumumba was a "trick"
and not a proper solution to the
Congo's problem.
Mobutu is likely to move
slowly on any appeal to the
populace because of Lumumba's
demonstrated spellbinding capa-
bility. If Mobutu is dissuaded
from using force, however, he
may be prompted to reconvene par-
liament, whose members have
lately been critical. of Lumumba,
in order to deprive the former
premier of his legislative im-
munity.
Active support for Lumumba
from Ghana, Guinea, and the UAR
has counterbalanced to some ex-
tent the fall in Lumumba's
ET
PAP.T I OF IMMEDIATE INTEREST Page 4 of 8
 domestic prestige. On 11 Octo-
ber, after Mobutu had set the
first of several deadlines for
the UN to surrender Lumumba,
a Ghanaian-operated
IL-18 turboprop? air-
craft loaded with
about 60 Ghanaian
troops took off from
Accra, reportedly :f'or
the purpose of rescu-
ing Lumumba:from
"house arrest" in
Leopoldville and set-
ting him up as head
of a government-in-
exile based in Accra.
The plane turned
back, allegedly be-
cause of bad weather,
and the flight may
have been for a rou-
tine troop rotation;
a similar flight left
Accra on 12 October.
While press at-
tention is centered
on the political sit-
uation in Leopold-
ville, the Congo's
economic difficulties
threaten to become
overwhelming. The
CONGO
REPUBLIC
,Y
financial consultant for the
Congo, who is working under UN
auspices has stated that a
crisis will occur this week
unless a coordinated salvage
program is undertaken immedi-
ately. The government report-
edly will be unable to meet
its military and civilian pay-
rolls on 15 October, which on
the basis of past experience
would lead to renewed disorder
and chaos.
Recently, the director of
the Congo Central Bank in Brus-
13 OCTOBER 1960
200
UNCLASSIFIED
31341
sels stated that the Congolese
Government had requested its
last line of credit and after
that was exhausted--around 15
abourg .kwanga
AN GANY IKA
)Lake
FEDERATION OF RHODESIA
AND NYASALAND j
October--the Congo would have
no further funds. He noted,
however, that it might be pos-
sible to permit further borrow-
ing by raising the present debt
ceiling.
At a recent meeting with
Justin Bomboko, head of the
technical commission forming
the Congo's administration, the
Congolese leader agreed that
the government must act swift-
ly and without regard to con-
stitutional limitations requir-
ing parliamentary approval of
SE$ET
PART I OF IMMEDIATE INTEREST Page 5 of 8
 international banking agree-
ments. Bomboko on 11 October
established a monetary coun-
cil and promised to enter fi-
nancial negotiations with Bel-
gium to arrange the distribu-
tion of the assets of former
semipublic Belgian corpora-
tions in the Congo.
Meanwhile, the situation
in Katanga Province is also
serious. Anti-Tshombe Baluba
tribesmen appear to control
large areas of northern and
central Katanga and to have
made numerous depredations
against Europeans. Many offi-
cials in Elisabethville re-
portedly fear that this tribal
guerrilla conflict with the
Katanga government now is en-
tering a critical phase which
could become a full-scale civil
war. The widened scope of
rebel activities suggests that
some form of Baluba political
organization is taking shape.
President Tshombe has strongly
criticized the UN Command for
failing to give his troops a
free hand in putting down the
disorders.
Tshombe also seems to be
under pressure from anti-Bel-
gian elements within his Conakat
party, and apparently as a re-
sult has lately attacked Brus-
sels for failing to grant Ka-
tanaa dinlnm2 in recognition.
SET