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Soviet Aid to the Insurgents in Eastern Congo, 1964-1966. Part 1
 
PIIS032150750007027-1-1
DOI10.31857/S032150750007027-1
Publication type Article
Status Published
Authors
Sergey Mazov 
Occupation: Principal Research Fellow, Institute of World History, Russian Academy of Sciences
Affiliation: Institute of World History, Russian Academy of Sciences
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow
Journal nameAsia and Africa Today
EditionIssue 11
Pages70-76
Abstract

Drawing on documents from domestic archives, the author examined closely the evolution of the Soviet attitude and behavior to the Simba uprising in eastern Congo (1964-1966), contacts between Soviet representatives and the insurgents’ leaders, the amount of the Soviet military aid, the situation inside the rebel movement. After a series of failures in the Congo in 1960-1963, the USSR reacted cautiously to the Simba uprising that provided for it a good chance to return to the “Heart of Africa”. The Soviet leaders received detailed and adequate information about the uprising from different sources including military intelligence. They had no reason to believe that the “lions” had good chances to succeed, and their leaders were true revolutionaries. The Soviet Union did not provide assistance for rebels until the NATO countries carried out direct military intervention in eastern Congo on November 24, 1964. The USSR delivered to Algeria, Ghana, the UAR and Tanzania weapons and military materials to arm and equip 18 thousand combatants, 320 Congolese went to the USSR for military training. A significant part of Soviet military aid finally did not reach the Congo. As in other critical moments of the Congo crisis (the ousting of the first Congolese premier Patrice Lumumba in September 1960 and his assassination in January 1961), the Soviet leadership refrained from intervening directly in the Congo or sending military advisers there. The failure of Che Guevara to export a revolution to the Congo confirmed the correctness of the Soviet assessment of the nature and prospects of the uprising. The uprising was suppressed due to its corrupt leaders’ rivalry over the power and external funding, low insurgent morale.

KeywordsCold War, the Congo crisis, Soviet policy in Africa, Simba uprising in eastern Congo
Publication date02.12.2019
Number of characters27849
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