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SUMMARY
The democratic republic of Congo did not get a chance to establish real foundation on which to build the states. Independent was granted hastily and without adequate preparation; to a country of about 14 million people, over 207 ethnic groups and less than 20 college graduates. The departing Belgium colonial masters left no adequate state mercenaries and prior to this period had kept the Congo isolated from foreign contacts. The result of this was upon independence, Belgium still controlled key sectors in the region. This control contrasted sharply with the radical nationalism advocated by the new Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. Just days after independence, when the ANC (Congolese army) mutinied protesting foreign domination, the wide spread support they got was evident of this contrast. Belgium intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo was unsolicited, which means under strict UN provisions, it was illegal and an intrusion on the territorial integrity if the new Congo state. That Belgium troops aided in the Katangan secession should have made it a closed case of breech of international law under the articles of the United Nations charter.1 Lumumba’s phrasing of the second request for aid highlights this point when he mentions “aggression against its national territory” and “threat to international peace”. These are the two basic requirements for a member of the United Nations to seek for collective self-defense.
