1892–1894 war in the Eastern Congo
Encyclopedia
The 1892–1894 war in the Eastern Congo took place in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo
between the forces of Belgium
's Congo Free State
and various Zanzibar
i Arab traders led by Sefu, the son of Tippu Tip
. It was a proxy war
, with most of the fighting being done by native Congolese, who aligned themselves with either side and sometimes switched sides. The causes of the war were mainly economic, since the Belgians and the Arabs were contending to gain control of the wealth of the Congo. The war ended in January 1894 with a Belgian victory.
.
In March and April 1892, Tip's son Sefu began to lead attacks on various Congo Free State (CFS) personnel in the eastern Congo, including the British ivory trader Arthur Hodister and Captain Guillaume Van Kerckhoven, who had been taking ivory by force from Arab traders. Gongo Luteta also led actions in the east at this time, but defected to the Force Publique
after suffering a defeat early on.
By October 1892, Sefu was leading a force of 10,000 men, some 500 Zanzibari officers and the rest Congolese. The Belgian Force Publique
, led by Francis Dhanis
, consisted of a few dozen Belgian officers commanding several thousand African auxiliaries.
, where he was attacked by the Force Publique and defeated. Dhanis used this battle as a pretext for advancing against the Arabs in force.
He allowed his army to travel with all of their wives, slaves, and servants, who did all of the army's cooking and cleaning and acted as a supply train. In addition, he did not allow his men to harm peaceful Africans, earning him goodwill with the Congolese people.
In early 1893 the Free State took the key river city of Nyangwe
after a 6-week siege that decimated the city: of 1000 original buildings in the city, only one remained standing after the siege. Later, the CSF took Kasongo
, in the north. The war's last major battle occurred on 20 October 1893, west of Lake Tanganyika
. It was a tactical stalemate, but the Arab leader Sefu was killed, and the resistance soon fell apart. The war ended in January 1894, with a Congo Free State victory.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
between the forces of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
's Congo Free State
Congo Free State
The Congo Free State was a large area in Central Africa which was privately controlled by Leopold II, King of the Belgians. Its origins lay in Leopold's attracting scientific, and humanitarian backing for a non-governmental organization, the Association internationale africaine...
and various Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
i Arab traders led by Sefu, the son of Tippu Tip
Tippu Tip
Tippu Tip or Tib , real name Hamad bin Muḥammad bin Jumah bin Rajab bin Muḥammad bin Sa‘īd al-Murghabī, , was a Swahili-Zanzibari trader. He was famously known as Tippu Tib after an eye disease which made him blind...
. It was a proxy war
Proxy war
A proxy war or proxy warfare is a war that results when opposing powers use third parties as substitutes for fighting each other directly. While powers have sometimes used governments as proxies, violent non-state actors, mercenaries, or other third parties are more often employed...
, with most of the fighting being done by native Congolese, who aligned themselves with either side and sometimes switched sides. The causes of the war were mainly economic, since the Belgians and the Arabs were contending to gain control of the wealth of the Congo. The war ended in January 1894 with a Belgian victory.
Prelude
In 1886, while Tippu Tip was in Zanzibar, a dispute arose between a Congo Free State fort at Stanley Falls, led by Tip, and a smaller, nearby fort led by Walter Deane and Dubois. Tip's men at the Stanley Falls fort alleged that Deane had stolen a slave woman from an Arab officer there. Deane asserted that the girl had fled after being badly beaten by her master, and that he had only offered her refuge. Tip's men attacked the fort and after a four-day siege, the defenders ran out of ammunition and fled, abandoning the fort. The Free State made no counterattack, and Tip began to move more men into the Congo, including several Arab slave captains and also some Congolese leaders, such as Gongo LuteteGongo Lutete
Gongo Lutete was a Congolese leader and chieftain during the late 19th century.As a boy he was enslaved by Arabs, but after winning his freedom he became a respected leader of the Batetela and Bakussu tribes in the Congo. In 1886, he joined forces with the Arab slave trader Tippu Tip near Stanley...
.
In March and April 1892, Tip's son Sefu began to lead attacks on various Congo Free State (CFS) personnel in the eastern Congo, including the British ivory trader Arthur Hodister and Captain Guillaume Van Kerckhoven, who had been taking ivory by force from Arab traders. Gongo Luteta also led actions in the east at this time, but defected to the Force Publique
Force Publique
The Force Publique , French for "Public Force", was both a gendarmerie and a military force in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1885, , through the period of direct Belgian colonial rule...
after suffering a defeat early on.
By October 1892, Sefu was leading a force of 10,000 men, some 500 Zanzibari officers and the rest Congolese. The Belgian Force Publique
Force Publique
The Force Publique , French for "Public Force", was both a gendarmerie and a military force in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1885, , through the period of direct Belgian colonial rule...
, led by Francis Dhanis
Francis, Baron Dhanis
Francis, Baron Dhanis was a Belgian civil servant born in London in 1861, the son of a Belgian merchant and of an Irish woman named Maher. He spent the first fourteen years of his life at Greenock, where he received his early education...
, consisted of a few dozen Belgian officers commanding several thousand African auxiliaries.
Course of the war
Open warfare broke out in late November 1892, when Sefu set up a fort on the Lomami RiverLomami River
The Lomami River is a major tributary of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The river is approximately long. It flows north, west of and parallel to the upper Congo....
, where he was attacked by the Force Publique and defeated. Dhanis used this battle as a pretext for advancing against the Arabs in force.
He allowed his army to travel with all of their wives, slaves, and servants, who did all of the army's cooking and cleaning and acted as a supply train. In addition, he did not allow his men to harm peaceful Africans, earning him goodwill with the Congolese people.
In early 1893 the Free State took the key river city of Nyangwe
Nyangwe
Nyangwe was a town in Maniema, on the right bank of the Lualaba in the Democratic Republic of Congo . It was one of the main slave trading states in the region at the end of the 19th century....
after a 6-week siege that decimated the city: of 1000 original buildings in the city, only one remained standing after the siege. Later, the CSF took Kasongo
Kasongo
Kasongo is a town and territory in Maniema Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It lies east of the Lualaba River, northwest of its confluence with the Luama River, at an altitude of 2188 ft . Kasongos population is approximately 63,000. The town is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese...
, in the north. The war's last major battle occurred on 20 October 1893, west of Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika is an African Great Lake. It is estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal in Siberia; it is also the world's longest freshwater lake...
. It was a tactical stalemate, but the Arab leader Sefu was killed, and the resistance soon fell apart. The war ended in January 1894, with a Congo Free State victory.