Léon Roget

Léon Roget (21 June 1858 – 4 February 1909) was a Belgian soldier and colonial administrator who was active in the Congo Free State.

[1] Roget was admitted to the service of the Congo Free State on 15 April 1886, and left for Africa on 28 June 1886.

[3] The number of troops grew quickly, and they proved capable of maintaining order, escorting supply caravans and supporting expeditions of exploration.

[1] Jules Alexandre Milz arrived in Boma on 25 July 1888 as an officer of the Force Publique and was assigned to the Bangala District, where Van Kerckhoven was preparing an expedition to establish entrenched camps on the Aruwimi River and Sankuru River for defense against Arab slavers.

[4] On 8 February 1889 the column was at the confluence of the Aruwimi with the Congo River, where the Basoko station was established, capital of the new Aruwimi-Uele District.

[1] However, from this base Roget could not prevent the Arabs from circulating through the vast territory of the eastern Congo Basin.

[1] In April 1890 Milz and Joseph Duvivier accompanied Roget to found a post in Djabir (Bondo[b]) on the Uele.

Sultan Djabir signed a treaty with Milz and a post was established on the site of the former Egyptian zeriba of Deleb.

[4] Milz began construction of the station while Roget, guided by Sultan Djabir, tried unsuccessfully to join Alphonse van Gèle in Yakoma.

[8] Roget left Djabir in July to return to Basoko, leaving Milz in command with instructions to attempt the liaison with Yakoma.

He returned to Africa between December 1905 and August 1906 as administrator of the Compagnie des Magasins Généraux du Congo to inspect and organize the company's establishments.