Émile Robert Alphonse Hippolyte Janssens (15 June 1902 – 4 December 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" (French: Petit Maniaque) and was a staunch disciplinarian, but his refusal to see Congolese independence as marking a change in the nature of his command has been cited as the immediate cause of the mutiny by the Force Publique in July 1960 that plunged Congo-Léopoldville into chaos and anarchy.

In 1959, he was responsible for repressing an important wave of riots in Léopoldville led by the Alliance des Bakongo[a] (ABAKO) party.

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.

The mutiny, beginning at Camp Hardy near Thysville,[6] prompted an exodus of Europeans in the country towards Brazzaville and Stanleyville where the Belgians deployed paratroopers to rescue their citizens.

Returning to Brussels, and professing to be retired, he publicly approached a statue of King Leopold II, the founder of the Congo Free State (the antecedent of the Belgian Congo), then bowed his head and announced "Sire, they've messed it all up" ("Sire, ils vous l'ont cochonné").

[1] The comment was widely reported and, because it appeared to criticize politicians and their decision to grant independence to the colony, it became a popular slogan for Belgian pro-colonialist groups.