It was diligently described in a book of the same name[1] by former 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment Captain Pierre Sergent.

In 1978, approximately 3,000 heavily armed fighters from Katanga crossed the border to the Zaire and marched into Kolwezi, a mining centre for copper and cobalt.

Following their arrival, they secured the perimeter, in co-operation with Belgian soldiers from Zaire, and then started to evacuate the civilians.

The film strives to depict the events in a dramatised form, concentrating on the Europeans' plight.

The late Jean Seberg had filmed scenes on location for the film, but her death caused her to be replaced by another French American actress, Mimsy Farmer, who reshot Seberg's scenes.