# CONAKAT
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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CONAKAT
> Source revision: 1348053534
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{{Short description|Katanga political party in the Belgian Congo}}
{{Infobox political party
| name = Confederation of Tribal Associations of Katanga
| native_name = Confédération des Associations tribales du Katanga
| logo =
| colorcode = {{party color|CONAKAT}}
| founders = [Moïse Tshombe](/source/Mo%C3%AFse_Tshombe)
[Godefroid Munongo](/source/Godefroid_Munongo)
[Dominique Diur](/source/Dominique_Diur)
[Évariste Kimba](/source/%C3%89variste_Kimba)
[Albert Nyembo](/source/Albert_Nyembo)
Rodolphe Yav
| leader1_title = President
| leader1_name = [Moïse Tshombe](/source/Mo%C3%AFse_Tshombe)
| leader2_title =
| leader2_name =
| foundation = 1958
| dissolved = 1965
| slogan =
| headquarters = [Élisabethville](/source/Lubumbashi), [Katanga](/source/State_of_Katanga) {{flagicon|Katanga}}
| youth_wing =
| membership =
| membership_year =
| ideology = [Katangese](/source/State_of_Katanga) [nationalism](/source/nationalism)
[Tribalism](/source/Tribalism)
[Anti-communism](/source/Anti-communism)
| position = [Right-wing](/source/Right-wing_politics)
| national = [CONACO](/source/Congolese_National_Convention) {{small|(1965)}}
| international =
| seats2_title =
| seats2 =
| colours =
| website =
| country = Belgian Congo
}}
The '''Confederation of Tribal Associations of Katanga''' ({{Langx|fr|Confédération des associations tribales du Katanga}}; '''CONAKAT''') was one of the main political parties in the [Belgian Congo](/source/Belgian_Congo) and was led by the pro-Western regionalist [Moïse Tshombe](/source/Mo%C3%AFse_Tshombe) and his interior minister, [Godefroid Munongo](/source/Godefroid_Munongo). It became the ruling party of the [State of Katanga](/source/State_of_Katanga) whose declaration of independence sparked the [Congo Crisis](/source/Congo_Crisis).
== History ==
===Formation===
The ''Confédération des associations tribales du Katanga'' was formed in November 1958 by Tshombe, Munongo, [Dominique Diur](/source/Dominique_Diur), and others in response to the developing sociopolitical situation in [Katanga Province](/source/Katanga_Province), [Belgian Congo](/source/Belgian_Congo). At the time, immigrants from other parts of the Congo, notably Lulua and Baluba people of [Kasai Province](/source/Kasai_Province), made up 38% of Katanga's population. The "authentic Katangese" referred to them disparagingly as "strangers".[{{harvnb|Heraclides|2012|p=60}}]
The first president of CONAKAT was Munongo, who was quickly forced to cede leadership to Tshombe due to his work in the civil service.[{{Cite book |last=Nzongola-Ntalaja |first=Georges |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qqWIvIAe2h4C&dq=CONAKAT+Munongo&pg=PA100 |title=The Congo from Leopold to Kabila: A People's History |date=February 2002 |publisher=Zed Books |isbn=978-1-84277-053-5 |language=en |author-link=Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja}}]
The CONAKAT ran in the national elections of 1960 on a regionalist program (including the demand for Katanga's self-government and preferential tax treatment). The party won only 8 of the 137 Congolese parliament seats in 1960.
On July 11, 1960, just under a fortnight after Congolese independence, CONAKAT president Tshombe declared the independence of the [State of Katanga](/source/State_of_Katanga) and the beginning of the [Congo Crisis](/source/Congo_Crisis).
The party was also heavily subsidised by commercial and mining interests, especially [Union Minière](/source/Union_Mini%C3%A8re_du_Haut-Katanga).[{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Alison Susan |title=White malice: the CIA and the neocolonisation of Africa |date=2021 |publisher=Hurst Publishers |isbn=978-1-78738-555-9 |location=London |pages=173}}] The secession of Katanga from the rest of the Congo would enable these businesses to maintain their investments, as an example: Union Minière's net profits were 31 billion Belgian francs between 1950-1959, which corresponds to over 5,5 billion US dollars in 2020.