Kisangani, formerly Stanleyville, (population 500,000) is a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. It is the provincial capital of Orientale. A city is an urban area, differentiated from a town, village, or hamlet by size, population density, importance, or legal status. ... Orientale (formerly Haute-Zaire) is a province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. ...

Kisangani is located where the Lualaba River becomes the Congo River north of the Boyoma Falls. It is the farthest navigable point upstream from Kinshasa. The Lualaba is the largest tributary of the Congo River, running from the vicinity of Lubumbashi north to Kisangani, where the Congo officially begins. ... Image of Kinshasa and Brazzaville, taken by NASA; the Congo River is visible in the center of the photograph Length 4,380 km Elevation of the source m Average discharge 41,800 m /s Area watershed 3,680,000 km Origin Mouth Atlantic Ocean Basin countries Dem. ... Boyoma Falls, formerly known as Stanley Falls, consists of seven cataracts extending over 100 km on the Lualaba River near Kisangani (formerly Stanleyville) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...

The city is also home to an airport and a railway to Ubundu.

History

Henry Morton Stanley founded Stanley Falls Station in December 1883, on an island in the Congo River near the present town of Kisangani. He left Mr Binnie, an engineer and a Scotsman, in charge to trade with the natives and to represent the Congo Free State. Soon afterwards, East African slavers from Zanzibar, often erroneously called "Arabs" by European writers of the time, reached Stanley Falls. Relations between Free State Officials and Arab slavers were strained and after a fight the Station was abandoned in 1887. In 1888, some form of Free State power was re-established by appointing Tippu Tip, one of the greatest Zanzibari slavers, as governor of Stanley Falls district. Sir Henry Morton Stanley (January 29, 1841-May 10, 1904) was a 19th-century, Welsh-born, United States journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of Africa and his search for David Livingstone. ... December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1883 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... An engineer may be someone who practices the engineering profession, or the driver of a rail locomotive. ... Scotland (Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is a country or nation and former independent kingdom of northwest Europe, and one of the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. ... The Congo Free State was a kingdom privately and controversially owned by King Leopold II of Belgium that included the entire area now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Map of Zanzibars main island Zanzibar, Tanzania, comprises a pair of islands off the east coast of Africa called Zanzibar (Unguja) (1994 est. ... 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ... 1888 is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... Categories: People stubs | 1837 births | 1905 deaths ... Map of Zanzibars main island Zanzibar, Tanzania, comprises a pair of islands off the east coast of Africa called Zanzibar (Unguja) (1994 est. ... Boyoma Falls, formerly known as Stanley Falls, consists of seven cataracts extending over 100 km on the Lualaba River near Kisangani (formerly Stanleyville) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...

In late 1964 Simba rebels seized the city of Stanleyville, during the Congo Crisis, and took over 1600 European hostages. After 111 days of negotiating, Operation Dragon Rouge was launched by the United States, Belgium, and a mercenary force called "L'Ommengang" under the command of Colonel Frederic Vandewalle to free the hostages. The airborne assault portion of the hostage rescue operation was referred to as "Dragon Rouge", and "Mad" Mike Hoare and his mercenary unit also were part of Vandewalle's assault column. 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... (You may be looking for the First Congo War, 1996-7, or the Second Congo War, 1998- ) The Congo Crisis (1960-1965) was a period of turmoil in the First Republic of the Congo that began with national independence from Belgium and ended with the seizing of power by Joseph... (You may be looking for the First Congo War, 1996-7, or the Second Congo War, 1998- ) The Congo Crisis (1960-1965) was a period of turmoil in the First Republic of the Congo that began with national independence from Belgium and ended with the seizing of power by Joseph... A mercenary is a soldier who fights, or engages in warfare primarily for money, usually with little regard for ideological, national or political considerations. ... Thomas Michael Hoare was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1920. ...

In 1999, Kisangani was the site of the first open fighting between Ugandan and Rwandan forces following the fracturing of the anti-government rebel Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) into camps based in Kisangani and Goma. The fighting was also over the diamond mines close to the town. By the end of the Second Congo War, the town was under the control of the Rwandan-backed RCD-Goma. The Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) is a Congolese rebel group operating in the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). ... The Second Congo War was a conflict taking place largely in the territory of Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) that began in 1998 and officially ended in 2002. ...

External links

• http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/odom/odom.asp "Dragon Operations: Hostage Rescues in the Congo,1964-1965"

Discussion of military operations conducted in the Stanleyville area during the Congo Crisis, focussing mainly on the Dragon Rouge hostage rescue.