battle, Cold War

Battle of Kolwezi

Name: Battle of Kolwezi
Location: Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Battle of Kolwezi was a battle fought in 1978 at Kolwezi, in what is now Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Kolwezi. It was part of Shaba II. The recorded result: Coalition (Zaire/French) victory. Recorded strength: ~5,000 against 3,000–4,000 (estimated).

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Fought1978

WhereKolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo10.717S, 25.467E, placed at the location, approximate

OutcomeCoalition (Zaire/French) victory

BelligerentsFrance; Belgium; Morocco; Zaire; United StatesagainstFLNC

Casualties and losses~120 killed; 5 killed, 6 missing; 1 killedand~250–400 killed; 160 captured

Part ofShaba II

Record

Date	1978 (year precision) to 1978
Place	Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo 10.717S, 25.467E
Kind	Battle, Cold War
Strength	~5,000	3,000–4,000 (estimated)
Casualties and losses	~120 killed; 5 killed, 6 missing; 1 killed	~250–400 killed; 160 captured
Commanders	Philippe Erulin Ante Gotovina	Nathaniel Mbumba

Placed at Kolwezi; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Siege of Jadotville 1961, 141 km E
Battle for Lake Tanganyika 1915, 671 km NE
Battle of Cuito Cuanavale 1987, 842 km SW
Battle of Sinoia 1966, 902 km SE
Battle of Lake Nyasa 1914, 1002 km E

Elsewhere in 1978

South Lebanon conflict Lebanon
Operation Sovereignty Chile
Egyptian raid on Larnaca International Airport Cyprus
Battle of Cassinga Angola
Operation Reindeer Angola

Battle of Kolwezi is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 5 in present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2745987, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Kolwezi, revision 1381718788, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.