SOME NOTES ON the uniforms and insignia of Zaire

Part 2: Other Units

The Civil Guard.

Raised in 1984 as a new paramilitary police force, alongside the gendarmerie. This seems to have been intended as a new, “clean” formation, but of course it fell into the bad habits of the existing ones.

Standout item here the very German M43-style field caps — this unit was apparently trained by West Germans, which probably explains it. Green fatigues. Men can be seen with leopard-spot camouflage in 1985, but by the 1990s this seems to have vanished. Likewise, sadly, the caps seem to have been replaced by green or black berets. I’ve seen shoulder slides in green, yellow and red edged white — some system of battalions etc. perhaps. The cap/beret badge was a pleasant gold or silver (I’ve seen both I think?) sunburst design, with the Zairian arm and torch in the centre on a yellow disc. On each sleeve, at least in theory — a green arc edged yellow with “GARDE CIVILE” in yellow, above a green shield edged yellow, with the outline of Zaire in yellow, the hand and torch within it. Some men have a circular left breast badge of unclear design. Blue scarves for parade. I’ve seen exactly one instance of service dress, worn by one of Mobutu’s aides-de-camp (1989). Khaki-green, with green collar tabs and cap badge, each with an embroidered version of the beret/field cap badge. This man wears a red scarf, which could be a Civil Guard item but also a Presidential Guard one, or something else.

Military Justice.

Seen on a couple of occasions. In 1975, green fatigues, red shoulder slides with unclear device, white tassel, black “JM” brassard on the left arm, a khaki peaked cap with what looks like the standard cap badge of the era, and gold chinstrap. In 1997, green fatigues, dark green shoulder slides edged red with gold sword and scales device. Green helmets with white stripe and an unclear central device (as seen) (fig. 155). One man, instead of full-size slides, simply has a red bar above a green bar.

In other footage, an officer in a trial-type situation wears ?black shoulder slides with what looks like the gendarmerie shoulder slide badge (fig. 156). Unclear.

The Republican Guard.

This unit was drawn from the gendarmerie, and did the usual honour guard functions. How these men dressed when not in full dress, I don’t know — whether it was standard gendarmerie uniforms or they had some particular distinctions.

The first uniform. As seen. A light blue tunic with eight-button front and short standing collar. Light blue trousers bloused into black boots. A white shako with red plume, gold chinstrap and black peak. Gold shoulder cords on red backing. A red aiguillette on the left shoulder. Two gold chevrons on each sleeve. A belt of curious design — seemingly, a tan sash, over which a white girdle, fastened at the back with three straps, with four “windows” at the front through which the sash could be seen. This seems to have been the dress of all ranks, without differentiation, though sometimes officers seem to have worn rank bars on their collars. Mauser rifles and Vigneron SMGs, later FN FALs. Officers carried white swagger sticks and no swords. August 1973 photos show the honour guard in this uniform, and the band in the second uniform, so I imagine the change was soon afterwards. Certainly by October 1974 the second uniform was completely in place.

The first uniform (band). This rather unattractive uniform, as seen.

The second uniform. As mentioned, I’d have this introduced in late 1973 or thereabouts. A fairly drab green seven-button full-skirted tunic. Red standing collar, pointed cuffs and square-ended shoulder straps, all with broad gold edging. Broad yellow piping on the rear sleeves, curving down to two waist buttons, and from there to the end of the skirt. Green trousers with gold stripe. A leopard-skin shako with black peak, gold chinstrap, and gold leopard head badge. A tall plume in red over yellow over green. Officers wore rank insignia on the collar, men on dark patches on the upper sleeves. Officers with white Sam Browne belts (actual ones, not webbing cross-straps) and swords. FN FALs for the men, AKs by 1980. A motorcycle unit had red aiguillettes and white helmets, gloves and gauntlets. This uniform can be seen all the way through to 1997.

The second uniform (band). The same uniform, except for the drum-major, who had gold chevrons up each sleeve. The drums were green with red over yellow (top) and yellow over red (bottom) bands, as seen. This uniform was in place by August 1973.

Colours. In the Congo era, the national flag, fringed gold, with several lines of text: “[…] / D’INFANTERIE / TABOR[…] MA[…]”. In Zaire, the colour pictured — the national flag, fringed gold, with “FORCES ARMEES ZAIROISES / 2EME GROUPEMENT […]”. The 2nd groupement was stationed at Kinshasa and had the Republican Guard in its order of battle, which presumably explains the reference.

The Mounted Escort.

This unit seems to have also been drawn from the gendarmerie, and made its first public appearance (that I’m aware of) in November 1970.

The first uniform. A six-button light button tunic. A standing collar with broad gold edging. A straight rear vent with two buttons either side. Rank insignia on the collar for officers. Red epaulettes for men, officers with red and gold (red body, gold edging, crescent and fringe). Red aiguillettes for men, gold for officers. A white belt with gold buckle of some sort. Black bearskin with short peak. A gold central ?leopard head badge. At left, a Congolese flag cockade (as seen) below a red plume for men, white for officers. White breeches and tall black jackboots. White gloves and gauntlets. Sabres and, for the men, lances with Zairian flag pennons. Musicians had something red on their sleeves, presumably chevrons. Trumpet/kettledrum banners green edged yellow, the hand and torch in a yellow disc in the centre. Illegible text around and below the yellow disc on the trumpet banners. Light blue shabraque, portmanteau and three-layered pistol holster, all edged white. A splendid colour, as seen — the field presumably the Congolese colours, with a large outline of the country enclosing a heraldic lion. Some illegible text below.

The second uniform. I’m not sure when this was introduced — I’d guess around late 1973, as for the green Republican Guard uniform. The same, but, in drab green, except for musicians seem to have worn a deep green, lost their sleeve chevrons, and gained red “brandenburgs” on their tunic fronts. Presumably the bearskin cockade changed to the Zairian emblem. I’ve never actually seen these men mounted.

The Air Force.

Helion probably has a title the reader could profitably consult here.

At least a few men seem to have had a full dress uniform, with cuff-style rank insignia on black shoulder straps (fig. 177). All-black cap with, presumably, the air force badge, and the distinctive all-round gold lower band piping.

Abacost-style service dress in RAF blue, or thereabouts. Light blue cravat. Black collar patches with gold wings insignia. Light clue cuff rank. Cap with gold chinstraps, black band with gold piping around the lower end sometimes, blue crown. An elaborate badge — a green shield with ?leopard head, gold wings on either side, surrounded by a gold wreath, all below a yellow disc with hand and torch device (fig. 180). Pilot wings, worn above the left breast pocket, seem to have been a green shield with ?leopard head, gold wings on either side, below a yellow disc with hand and torch device (fig. 179). Mobutu’s air force aide-de-camp wore on the right shoulder a blue passant, edged gold, with gold eagle, to fix his gold aiguillette (fig. 181).

Green and blue-grey fatigues can be seen, cuff rank insignia worn on ?dark blue shoulder straps. I have in my notes there were dark blue French-style calots with wings badges, and dark blue berets, but can find pictures of neither as I come to write this(!).

The Navy.

This wasn’t a significant component of the armed forces — it operated a few craft on Lake Tanganyika and etc.

An abacost style service dress, in black, with cuff rings, gold passants and a white cravat. One order of dress seems to have had white collar patches (badge unclear) and a red fourragère, the other without these — or perhaps these are the distinctions of two different units. Peaked caps with gold chinstraps, black bands and either white or black crowns. An elaborate badge (details unclear) — perhaps a leopard head flanked with elaborate wreaths, all below a star (fig. 188). Admirals seem to have worn rather incongruous crimson collar patches, with general staff badge, and a red ?and gold aiguillette on the left shoulder (fig. 185).

Enlisted men can be seen parading in black “square rig” type uniforms, as seen, with white gaiters and belts, and black fatigue caps. I think I can see white sailor caps in other (Very indistinct) footage. Officers with open-necked tunics, shoulder straps with rank insignia, ?gold fourragères, peaked caps and swords, or short-sleeved white shirts with shoulder straps.

Green fatigues with peaked caps, or, in later footage, a woodland camouflage uniform can be seen, with navy blue badge-less berets and black shoulder straps with rank insignia (fig, 186).

The Police.

As mentioned in Part 1, I think the police, uniformologically, disappeared in 1972 with the formation of the “National Gendarmerie”. I’ll take this section a little quickly.

In the later 1960s, service dress was a blueish grey four-pocket tunic and cap. Silver buttons. White shirt and ?dark blue tie. Black peak and silver chinstrap on the cap. No collar patches or insignia except rank insignia, worn on the shoulder straps.

A blueish grey fatigue uniform (various shades, the shirts usually lighter than the service dress) worn with service dress cap, or blue M1 helmet with various painted markings (for a quiet life I won’t get into this here — “C P” and “P I” seem to have been most common). Open collar, or closed, with ?dark blue tie. Broad leather equipment belts.

By February 1968, insignia had appeared. Generals received a large, elaborate cap badge (the national arms, wreathed, with two bars either side), foliate cap decoration, rank insignia and a device on dark collar patches, trefoil shoulder cords, an aiguillette, foliate embroidery on the tunic cuffs, a heavily embroidered circular buckle belt, and two trouser stripes. I assume this was all in silver. Officers a simpler badge (variations can be seen — compare figs. 202 and 203) with bars on either side as appropriate, peak embroidery for field officers, (non-trefoil) shoulder cords, cuff rings and trouser stripes, the latter two presumably after the same system used by the army. The other ranks’ badge a shield-shaped national flag (fig. 204). The Kinshasa “flying squad” (and possibly other units) had a right sleeve patch (fig. 205). From about 1970 US-style police badges can be seen. Colours seen on parade seem to have just been the national flag.

Bands as seen, with (at least) three different uniforms.