Proxy War (The Congo) (jan 1, 1960 – jul 1, 1965)

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The war in Congo during the 1960s was a significant event in the context of the Cold War. When Congo gained independence from Belgium in 1960, political and military conflicts arose, and the US and its allies supported the newly formed government of Joseph Kasavubu and Moise Tshombe, while the Soviet Union and its allies backed the Marxist-Leninist rebel leader, Patrice Lumumba. Congo became a battleground for the ideological competition between the US and the Soviet Union. The conflict consisted of covert operations, military aid, and propaganda campaigns, which led to Lumumba's assassination, a UN peacekeeping mission, and the establishment of Mobutu Sese Seko's authoritarian regime, which was backed by the US until the end of the Cold War.

"Eight Hot Wars During the Cold War." Council on Foreign Relations, World 101, 2022, https://world101.cfr.org/how-world-works-and-sometimes-doesnt/conflict/eight-hot-wars-during-cold-war.

-Will Camp

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