Émile Janssens

Lieutenant-General Émile Robert Janssens (1902-1989) was a Belgian military officer and colonial official, best known for his command of the Force Publique at the start of the Congo Crisis. He described himself as the "Little Maniac" ("Petit Maniaque") and was a staunch disciplinarian but not diplomatic.

Background
He served in various military roles during World War II. He served in Abyssinia, Nigeria, the Middle East, France, Holland and Belgium. In 1954, he was given command of the Force Publique.

1960 Mutiny
With the independence of Congo-Léopoldville in 1960, Janssens remained in charge of the Force Publique. During the final years of colonial rule, he had firmly opposed initiatives to allow black soldiers into the traditionally white officer corps of the Force Publique. Immediately prior to independence there were still no commissioned black officers in the FP, although about twenty Congolese officer cadets had commenced training at military academies in Belgium. This attitude caused unrest among the black troops under his command, already unsettled by the stress of keeping order during the independence celebrations and seeing themselves as excluded from the benefits of freedom. Janssens was determined that the social order created under the Belgian colonial government would continue even in the new independent state.

He called a meeting of the NCOs of the Léopoldville garrison on 5 July 1960 (the day after national independence) where, in an attempt to remind the soldiers of their oaths of loyalty and obedience, he wrote on a blackboard, "Before independence = after independence."

The message infuriated the soldiers under his command, who mutinied and attacked European settlers. The mutiny, beginning at Camp Hardy near Thysville, prompted an exodus of Europeans in the country towards Brazzaville and Stanleyville where the Belgians deployed paratroopers to rescue their citizens.

Some have seen the rebellion as a result of Janssens' insensitivity, while others suspected he was deliberately trying to incite a rebellion. Regardless, in the aftermath of the mutiny, Janssens resigned from his post, also resulting from differences with the Lumumba government. He was replaced by Victor Lundula, who had been hastily promoted to General from the rank of Sergeant-Major. In the aftermath of the mutiny, the Force Publique was dissolved and replaced by the Armée Nationale Congolaise (ANC).

Later life
Janssens returned to Belgium, where in his later years he wrote widely on his experience of the Congo Crisis and of Congolese history in general. He is particularly noted for his 1979 work on the history of the Force Publique.

In popular culture

 * In the 2000 film Lumumba, Janssens was played by Rudi Delhem.