The term originally referred to ex-members of the Katangese Gendarmerie who refused to surrender after the State of Katanga's collapse in 1963.
They formed a rebel group, the Congolese National Liberation Front (FNLC), in the 1970s.
[2] However, the FLNC was unsuccessful in overthrowing Zaire's government or retaking Katanga, and consequently fractured.
Several FLNC fighters and ex-gendarmes made peace with Zaire's dictator Mobutu Sese Seko and joined his security forces.
[3] Afterwards, the term "Katangese Tigers" was used to refer to Katangese militants who continued to oppose Mobutu; these fought alongside the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo in the First Congo War.