No matter how much grass the gnu, grass will never stop growing.
Congolese proverb
Overseas Campaigns : Congo
Congo Brazzaville
Congo, former Congo Brazzaville, is an equatorial African state, open to the Atlantic Ocean, with a surface area of 340,000 square kilometres and a population of less than 3,000,000 inhabitants (in 2000).
Becoming a French colony at the beginning of the nineteenth century, Congo gained independence in 1960.
In 1959, the French army was called up for intervention in Congo following unrest in the capital, Brazzaville.
During the three decades that followed, ethnic rivalry between the Hutus and Tutsis, ideological disagreements, as well as a serious economic crisis, stirred up another wave of uprising, notably in 1963, and more recently, in 1993 and 1997. The country was plagued by corruption and the army took to looting and perpetrating barbaric acts making the situation extremely dangerous for the civilian population. Several thousands of people were killed in violent confrontations during which President Lissouba’s troops were defeated and forced to escape
France role
As from May 1997, France launched a series of operations, notably the Isard, Pelican, Black Arrow, Antelope and Okoumé. It ordered its elite troops to evacuate foreign nationals and protect its interests. Thus, the foreign legion, navy parachutists and commandos, as well as a gendarmerie detachment had to intervene amid fierce fighting between opposing factions of the Congolese army and rebel militia.
Within a few weeks, close to 6,000 expatriates were evacuated. Upon accomplishing their mission, the French troops withdrew to their bases in Gabon, Chad and Central African Republic.