Mercenaries and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Following the Democratic Republic of the Congo's independence in 1960, mercenaries from Europe, North America, and Southern Africa have been recruited to participate in various military conflicts within the country.

In 1960 and 1961, Mike Hoare worked as a mercenary commanding the English-speaking unit "4 Commando," which supported the breakaway state of Katanga under the leadership of Moïse Tshombe.

In 1964, then-Prime Minister of Congo Tshombe hired Major Hoare to lead a military unit called "5 Commando" made up of about 300 men, most of them from South Africa.

In Operation Dragon Rouge, "5 Commando" worked in close cooperation with Belgian paratroopers, Cuban exile pilots, and CIA-hired mercenaries.

The objective of Operation Dragon Rouge was to capture Stanleyville and save several hundred civilians (mostly Europeans and missionaries) who were hostages of the Simba rebels.

The 1966 Italian Mondo film Africa Addio documents a group of white mercenaries in the Congo fighting alongside the Congolese Army.