Irish Army patrol (UN duty) in Congo-Léopoldville, 1960
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Niemba ambush
Part of the Congo Crisis
Niemba
Niemba ambush (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Date
8 November 1960
Location
Niemba, Katanga
Result
Luba victory
Belligerents
ONUC
Ireland
Luba militia
Commanders and leaders
Kevin Gleeson †
Unknown
Strength
11 men
~100 men
Casualties and losses
9 killed
1 wounded
25 killed
Unknown wounded
v
t
e
Congo Crisis
Force Publique mutinies
Secession crisis
Katanga
South Kasai
Invasion
Congo-Stanleyville
UN intervention
Rum Punch
Niemba ambush
Battle of Kabalo
Jadotville
UNOKAT
Camp Massart
Grandslam
Kindu atrocity
Port Francqui incident
Kanyarwanda War
Kwilu rebellion
Simba rebellion
Dragon Rouge
Dragon Noir
White Giant
Violettes Imperiales
South
Other major events
Dissolution of the Lumumba Government
Torture and killing of Lumumba
Death of Dag Hammarskjöld
The Niemba ambush took place on 8 November 1960,[1] when an Irish Army patrol in Congo-Léopoldville was ambushed, the first time the Irish Army was embroiled in battle since the 1922-23 Irish Civil War. Ireland had deployed troops as United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC) peacekeepers.
The notoriety of the attack, and the allegations of mutilation and cannibalism that circulated in the Irish popular press in its aftermath, led to the word "baluba" becoming a synonym for any "untrustworthy and barbaric" person in certain parts of Ireland.
However, the ambush was largely the result of mistaken identity. The Luba tribesmen seem to have mistaken the Irish UN troops for European mercenaries in the service of the State of Katanga, with whom they had recently been in conflict, the Baluba being opposed to Katangese secession. The Irish were part of a UN contingent that was sent to halt the Katangese secession from the Congo.[2]
^Cite error: The named reference horror was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Letters from Niemba: Irish troops in the Congo, 1960". historyireland.com. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
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Global Information
Kevin Gleeson †