ABSTRACT
Katanga is a province in the Republic o f Congo, the former Belgian colony which achieved independence in 1960. Katanga’s proclamation o f independence o f 11 July 1961 and its request for recognition were refused by the UN Security Council.1 Moise Tshombe’s declaration that “Katanga will appeal to the entire free world, and ask all nations to recognise our right, like that o f every other nation, to self-determination” was not successful (see Dugard, 1987:87; Higgins, 1963:228-234). The Secretary-General decided to intervene in the Congo crisis at the request (telegram dated 12 July 1960) o f the President and the Prime Minister o f the Republic o f Congo.2 The Security Council did everything to prevent secessionists’ armed struggle even by employing soldiers against the secessionist fighters.3 The Katangan insurrection was seen by the UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld as a “question between the provincial government and the Central Government”.4 He refused to entertain the idea that the conflict was between Katanga and
the Congo. The Security Council and the General Assembly had continually maintained that the issue was an “internal political problem”, or a problem of the Congolese authorities,5 which was “threatening international peace”.6 The Security Council had repeatedly emphasised the importance and necessity of preserving “the territorial integrity and the political independence of the Republic o f Congo”.7 The secessionist leaders were urged not to do anything “which might undermine the unity, territorial integrity and the political independence of the Republic o f Congo”.8 Demanding that the parties to the dispute should take recourse to “constitutional solutions”,9 the Security Council without dissension (two members abstaining, France and the United Kingdom o f Great Britain and Northern Ireland) urged and authorised the Secretaiy-General to take “vigorous action, including the use of the requisite measures of force, if necessary” to halt the violence and if necessary to deter any unruly mobs.10 The Katangan secession was seen by the UN (both in the Security Council and the General Assembly) as a rebellion against the legitimate State."
