Editing Belgian Congo (section)

===International conflicts===
{{See also|Belgian government at Sainte-Adresse}}
[[File:Congo belge campagne 1918.jpg|thumb|left|230px|The ''Force Publique'' in [[German East Africa]] during World War I]]

The Belgian Congo was directly involved in the two world wars. During [[Belgium in World War I|World War I]], an initial stand-off between the ''[[Force Publique]]'' and the German colonial army in [[German East Africa]] (Tanganyika) turned into open warfare with a joint Anglo-Belgian invasion of German colonial territory in 1916 and 1917 during the [[East African campaign (World War I)|East African campaign]]. By 1916, the Belgian commander of the ''Force Publique'', [[Belgian military ranks|Lieutenant-General]] [[Charles Tombeur]], had assembled an army of 15,000 men supported by local bearers – [[David van Reybrouck|Reybrouck]] indicated that during the war no less than 260,000 native bearers were called upon<ref name=dvr>{{cite book |author=[[David van Reybrouck]] |title=[[Congo: The Epic History of a People]] |publisher=[[HarperCollins]], 2014 |page=132ff}}</ref> – and advanced to [[Kigali]] (now the capital of [[Rwanda]]). Kigali was taken by 6 May 1916, and the army went on to take [[Tabora]] (now part of [[Tanzania]]) on 19 September after [[Battle of Tabora|heavy fighting]].<ref name=dvr/> In 1917, after [[Mahenge]] (now in [[Tanzania]]) had been conquered, the army of the Belgian Congo, by now 25,000 men, occupied one-third of German East Africa.<ref name=dvr/>

After World War I, under the [[Treaty of Versailles]], Germany ceded control of the western section of the former German East Africa to Belgium, and [[Ruanda-Urundi]] would go on to become a [[League of Nations]] [[League of Nations mandate|mandate territory]], under Belgian administration. These areas did not become part of the Belgian Congo. Ruanda-Urundi would later become independent as the nations of [[Rwanda]] and [[Burundi]], and the Belgian-controlled portions of German East Africa would join the nation of Tanganyika, followed by Tanzania.<ref>Strachan, H. (2001). The First World War: To Arms. I. New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-926191-1}}.</ref>

During [[Belgium in World War II|World War II]], the [[Belgian Congo in World War II|Belgian Congo]] served as a crucial source of income for the [[Belgian government in exile]] in London after the [[German occupation of Belgium during World War II|occupation of Belgium by the Nazis]]. Following the occupation of Belgium by the Germans in May 1940, the Belgian Congo declared itself loyal to the Belgian government in exile in London. The Belgian Congo and the rest of the [[Free Belgian forces]] supported the war on the Allied side in the [[Battle of Britain]] with 28 pilots in the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] (squadron 349) and in the [[History of the South African Air Force#East Africa|Royal South African Air Force]] (350 Squadron) and in Africa.<ref>Baete, Hubert (ed.) (1994). Belgian Forces in United Kingdom. Ostend: Defence. pp. 165–7.</ref> The ''Force Publique'' again participated in the Allied campaigns in Africa. Belgian Congolese forces (with Belgian officers) notably fought against the Italian colonial army in [[Italian East Africa]], and were victorious in [[Asosa]], Bortaï and in the [[Siege of Saïo]] under Major-general [[Auguste-Eduard Gilliaert]] during the second [[East African campaign (World War II)|East African campaign]] of 1940–1941.<ref name="WP"/> On 3 July 1941, the Italian forces (under [[Pietro Gazzera|General Pietro Gazzera]]) surrendered when they were cut off by the ''Force Publique''. A Congolese unit also served in the Far Eastern Theatre with the British army in the [[Burma campaign]].<ref>Killingray, David (2012). ''Fighting for Britain: African Soldiers in the Second World War''. London: James Currey Ltd. p. 7. {{ISBN|1847010474}}.</ref>