Today, 13th September, 2021, marks the 60th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Jadotville. An online exhibition has been curated by one of our archivists detailing various aspects of the engagement, which took place from the 13th – 17th September 1961.
The Republic of the Congo (as it was named after gaining independence from Belgium on 30 June, 1960) requested military assistance from the United Nations, in order to maintain territorial integrity.
‘A’ Company, 35th Infantry Battalion, ONUC (The United Nations Operation in the Congo, Opération des Nations Unies au Congo), were surrounded at Jadotville by Gendarmerie forces and were engaged in heavy fighting for five days without UN support being able to relieve them.
To learn more visit the exhibition which illustrates the stages leading up to the battle, the battle itself, and the aftermath.