This Day in History: July 15, 1960
Additional Date: July 15, 1960
United Nations (UN) troops arrived to help deal with the political crisis following MoÁ¯se-Kapenda Tshombé's declaration of independence for Katanga province on 11 July. The intervention by UN troops followed Patrice Lumumba’s request for assistance from African countries and the United Nations. The secession of Katanga fuelled the province of South Kasai to declare independence on 8 August 1960, calling itself the Federal State of South Kasai, with Joseph Ngalula as head of parliament. The events leading to the secession of the two Congo provinces happened shortly after the country gained independence from Belgium on 30 June 1960.