Georges-Edouard le Marinel (29 June 1860 – 20 November 1914) was a Belgian soldier, engineer, explorer and colonial administrator.
In 1858 Amédée emigrated to the U.S. and started a farm in Long Grove, Iowa where his two sons, Paul and George, were born.
[3] Le Marinel was named district commissioner 2nd class on 28 January 1889, and the next day embarked in Antwerp to return to the Congo via Lisbon.
The water level rose in July and the steamers entered the Uele, but at 22°04' longitude they were blocked by impassible rapids.
After returning to the Yakoma camp, Van Gèle decided to explore the Bomu river and visit Sultan Bangassou[a], but the steamers were blocked after a day by the Goui falls.
[9] On 27 May 1890 the expedition of Léon Roget and Jules Alexandre Milz reached the Uele River opposite the Djabir village.
Sultan Djabir signed a treaty with Milz and a post was established on the site of the former Egyptian zeriba of Deleb.
[10] Milz began construction of the station while Roget, guided by Sultan Djabir, tried unsuccessfully to join Van Gèle in Yakoma.
[12] Van Gèle heard of the presence of a European in Djabar on 18 November 1890 and set out via a roundabout route up the Uele, reaching the village of Gamanza on 2 December.
[b] With the French established on the upper Ubangi, Van Gele began to conclude increasing numbers of treaties.
[14] Le Marinal met Sultan Bangassou, then travelled up the Mbari River where he established the Bakouma post.
[1] Bakouma was founded in September 1892 when the Belgians, led by Commander Georges Adolphe Balat and Captain Le Marinel set up a military post on the site.
In mid-December he was assigned to lead a reconnaissance expedition to Dār Fertit, with lieutenants Charles de la Kethulle, Gérard and Gonze as his deputies.
[5] The Belgian expeditions caused a dispute with the French that led to an agreement that the Bomu would be the northern border of the Congo Free State in this region.
[19] On 18 August 1894 France and Belgium signed a convention that established the Mbomou as the border between their colonies, so the country explored by Hanolet was now part of the French territory.