The 13 Italians and their Names

I first met Captain David Daud in September 1960, a graduate of RMA Sandhurst, he was a flamboyant person driving a MGA sports car when he visited us at the Government Mess A chalet (now Wisma LTAT) where we stayed prior to departure for the Congo.

A brief background. The Congo during that period was basically divided into three factions: (1) Mobotu's faction (pro-West), the central government, occupied slightly more than a third of the western portion of the country; (ii) Gizenga's faction (left-leaning) occupied roughly another third in the eastern Congo, and (iii) Tshumbe's faction (pro-West business), occupied less than a third, the southern part of Congo.

Kindu was strategic with a port, rail and airhead in Gizenga's eastern Congo. It was first occupied by a company of Nigerian (5QONR) ONUC troops. One day, a Nigerian platoon was ambushed by the Congolese near their Officers' Mess. The officer, a Lt Ben, a Sandhurst graduate was known to some of our officers, was killed, with many wounded.

The Nigerian Officers' Mess was a nice villa located on the road from the airport to Kindu town. After that ambush, the Nigerian contingent withdrew and was replaced by the Malayan Special Force (4RMR plus C Sqn 2 Recce) in March 1961. When we took over that Officers' Mess was rejected outright by our CO, Lt Col Ungku Nazaruddin simply because it was indefensible.

We opted to live in tents by the airport. Four months later in July 1961, B Company 6 RMR arrived to take over from D Company 4 RMR. Major David Daud, who led B Company 6 RMR, chose that empty villa as his Officers' Mess. The battle group of 4 RMR and C Squadron 2 Recce had already moved south into Nyunzu, then to Albertville (Kalemie) in northern Katanga.

In October 1961, the balance of A Squadron 2 Recce commanded by the Squadron 2 I/C Captain Maurice Lam, arrived at Kindu from Stanleyville, the stronghold of the Gizenge faction. Lam had discreetly kept a Ferret at the garage behind the Officers' Mess out of view from the road. A Squadron 2 Recce was the most overstretched unit in the Congo, one troop and tactical SHQ in Elisabethville, half troop in Kamina and the remainder now in Kindu.

On 11 November 1961, two Italian Air Force C119 arrived at Kamina to airlift two Ferrets under Sam Low that were stranded since 13 September, into Kindu. They arrived around noon on that Saturday. After unloading the Ferrets, the 13 Italian air crew were ready to fly back to Leopoldville. Their last words to A Squadron were whether they had anything to be sent to Leopoldville.

Then Major David Daud arrived and invited them for lunch at the Officers' Mess. During this period, there were big movements of Congolese troops belonging to the Gizenga faction, passing through Kindu, en route to Stanleyville. They had gone south to attack Kongolo, a strong Tshombe garrison town. Instead of defeating the Katangese, they were soundly trounced by the Katangese led by white mercenaries.

Imagine the low morale state of this rag-tag rebellious army. It was during this lunch when part of this group of Congolese soldiers passing by in front of the Officers' Mess, saw the Italians and accused them of being Belgians (Note: in the Katangese army, there were many Belgian officers) and demanded for them to be handed over. When the commotion started, Captain Lam signalled Sam Low and Neville Siebel to take out the hidden Ferret.

With Sam driving, and Neville commanding, the sight of the Ferret appearing out of no where stunned the Congolese. A decisive command decision by Major Daud could have saved the Italians but he ordered Neville to go to the airport. Once the Ferret disappeared, the Congolese stormed into the Officers' Mess. They assaulted the Italians, captured some weapons from our guard section and looted the Officers' Mess.

Neville could not accept the situation and he came back with four of his own troop's Ferret armoured cars. At this juncture, the situation could still be saved. Most of the Italians who were badly beaten up were being taken to the Congolese trucks. What was the action of Major Daud? He came in front of Neville's Ferret and shouted "Don't shoot!", and once more ordered them to return to the airport. The fate of the 13 Italians was sealed.

In his annual report, the ONUC Supreme Commander stated that their "enquiries into the... tragic events at Kindu" was not the fault of the MSF. Nevertheless, the Kindu massacre of the 13 Italians remains a blot on the history of the MSF, the army and the country. Fourteen months later, it was still in the mind of our senior most officer, Major General Tunku Osman Jewa. As Brigadier of the Army, he first visited MSF in Leopoldville on 16 January 1961.

On 15 January 1963, on his last visit, he addressed all officers of 2 RMR and C Squadron 2 Recce at the Bukavu Officers' Mess. 2 RMR A Company and B Company, together with C Squadron 2 Recce, were getting ready to mount a major operation on 17 January 1963 in Kongolo to round up all Katangese soldiers. In his pep talk, and I remember this distinctly, the General said, "If any one of them were to go against Major Daud, I would give him all the medals I could get." That sums up the big frustration of the Kindu incident.

The aftermath.