Jean Schramme

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Jean Schramme (March 25, 1929, Bruges, Belgium - December 14, 1988, Rondonopolis, Brazil) was a Belgian colonel who became a mercenary while on a mission in Katanga in 1967. He joined the Katangan rebellion troops and led the uprising against president Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire.

When the Belgian colony Congo gained its independence in 1960 the country quickly descended into civil war. Belgium sent troops to Congo to make sure that peace and order were restored. Schramme was one of the many soldiers sent to the country. In 1965 Colonel Mobutu, one of the rebellion leaders became president and from then on Belgium started protecting his regime against rebellions. Mobutu immediately began to arrest the former government ministers of Zaire.

On June 30, 1967 president Moise Tshombe of Katanga's plane was hijacked. He was taken and imprisoned in Algeria. For Schramme, this was a sign that he was fighting the wrong enemy and on July 3, 1967 he began to lead an uprising in Katanga against Mobutu. With the support of eleven europeans and some 100 Katangans he opened fire on an ANC (L' Armée Nationale Congolaise) camp full of Congolese troops and their families. In return the ANC murdered 30 other mercenaries who were not involved with the killings. The remaining mercenaries joined Schramme's troops.

Two days later Schramme tried to take control of Stanleyville, Congo. By August 10 his troops conquered the border town of Bukavu and had grown considerably in number. Schramme was able to hold Bukavu for seven weeks and managed to defeat all ANC troops who were sent to retake the town. The ANC suffered from a lack of artillery and was frustrated and demotivated over their continuous losses. By accident some ANC T-28 flying missions even attacked their own troops instead of Schramme's. Extra forces helped the ANC to finally defeat Schramme on October 29, 1967. The surviving rebel troops fled towards Rwanda.

On April 24, 1968 Schramme and all the other european mercenaries returned to Belgium and on April 17, 1986 he was sentenced to twenty years in prison for murder. He died in 1988.