How did Moise Tshombe lead the Katanga secession?

Moise Tshombe led the secession of the mineral-rich Katanga province in July 1960, shortly after the Democratic Republic of the Congo gained independence.12

Tshombe, who served as president of the province, utilized several key strategies to maintain the secession:

• Political Base: As leader of the Conakat party, Tshombe drew support from his ethnic group, the Lunda, and the Belgian mining monopoly Union Minière du Haut Katanga, which controlled the region's lucrative copper mines.1
• Exploiting Instability: He declared independence two weeks after the country's independence, taking advantage of a mutiny by the Force Publique (the national militia) to break away from the central government.12
• Foreign Assistance: Tshombe secured covert military and technical support from Belgium and employed a force of white mercenaries to defend his state against Congolese and United Nations efforts to end the secession.13

The secession lasted for three years until January 1963, when UN forces defeated the Katanga gendarmerie, leading to the province's reintegration into the republic.12