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Kindu atrocity

On 11 November 1961, thirteen Italian airmen serving with the UN Operation in the Congo were killed by Congolese National Army (ANC) soldiers in Kindu, Congo-Léopoldville, amid rumors they were spies for the secessionist Katangan faction; their bodies were subsequently mutilated and partially eaten by onlookers.

UNSOLVED1961

Kindu Port-Émpain, Congo-Léopoldville (now Kindu, Democratic Republic of the Congo)

3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On 11 November 1961, two Italian Air Force C-119 "Flying Boxcar" transport aircraft from the 46ª Aerobrigata, based at Pisa Airfield, landed near Kindu Port-Émpain in Congo-Léopoldville (present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) while delivering Ferret Scout Cars to a United Nations garrison. The thirteen Italian airmen aboard were part of the United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC), deployed to assist during the Congo Crisis, a period of political fragmentation following Belgian decolonization that saw rival factions led by Joseph Kasa-Vubu, Antoine Gizenga, and Moïse Tshombe contest control of the country.

The airmen were initially taken to a UN dining hall. Rumors that Tshombe's Katangan forces were planning an airdrop had heightened tensions among ANC troops stationed in Kindu as a staging post. At around 1600 hours, ANC personnel entered the dining hall and accused the Italians of being Tshombe spies. Despite initial attempts by a UN officer, Maj. Duad, and ANC Col. Pakassa to defuse the situation, the confrontation escalated into violence. One airman, Medic Tenente Remotti, was shot while attempting to escape; the remaining twelve were arrested and taken to a local prison, where they were subsequently shot and killed. Witnesses reported that the bodies were then mutilated, with parts distributed among onlookers, boiled, and reportedly eaten — an account supported by photographs taken by a witness. The remains were buried the following morning at Tokolote cemetery, later exhumed in 1962 and returned to Italy for reburial.

In the aftermath, Congolese General Victor Lundula and UN officers investigated the killings, but Col. Pakassa refused to cooperate and denied responsibility. The incident triggered political tension between the UN and pro-Gizenga factions in the Congolese government; Prime Minister Cyrille Adoula publicly denounced UN plans to disarm the implicated troops. A joint Congolese-UN commission later found two soldiers found in possession of human remains, along with Col. Pakassa and two other ANC members, to be "definitively guilty of involvement in the massacre." However, according to the source, no court trial ever took place, and no one was formally punished for the killings.

In 1994, the thirteen airmen were posthumously awarded Italy's Gold Medal of Military Valor. Their families received compensation in 2007. Memorials to the victims stand at Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport in Rome and in Pisa. The case remains formally without judicial resolution despite the commission's findings.

Key facts

Victims
Silvestro Possenti, Martano Marcacci, Giulio Garbati, Nazzareno Quadrumani, Armando Fabi, Francesco Paga, Giorgio Gonelli, Antonio Mamone, Filippo Di Giovanni, Francesco Paolo Remotti, Onorio De Luca, Amedeo Parmeggiani, Nicola Stigliani
Date
1961
Location
Kindu Port-Émpain, Congo-Léopoldville (now Kindu, Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Case status
unsolved

Case timeline

  1. 1961-11-11

    Two Italian C-119 aircraft arrive at Kindu; ANC soldiers accuse the thirteen Italian airmen of being spies, leading to violence, the killing of Medic Tenente Remotti, and the arrest of the remaining twelve airmen.

  2. 1961-11-11

    The twelve arrested Italian airmen are shot and killed in front of the local jail; their bodies are subsequently mutilated, with parts distributed, boiled, and reportedly eaten by onlookers.

  3. 1961-11-13

    General Victor Lundula dispatches officials and UN officers to Kindu to investigate; Col. Pakassa denies responsibility and refuses to cooperate.

  4. 1962

    Remains of the victims are exhumed from Tokolote cemetery and transported to Italy for reburial.

  5. 1994

    The murdered airmen are posthumously awarded Italy's Gold Medal of Military Valor.

  6. 2007

    Compensation is awarded to the victims' relatives.

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People

  • Silvestro Possenti

    VICTIM

    Staff Sergeant assembly operator, age 40, killed at Kindu

  • Martano Marcacci

    VICTIM

    Airman First Class board electrician, age 27, killed at Kindu

  • Giulio Garbati

    VICTIM

    2nd Lieutenant pilot, age 22, killed at Kindu

  • Nazzareno Quadrumani

    VICTIM

    Master Sergeant engineer, age 42, killed at Kindu

  • Armando Fabi

    VICTIM

    Staff Sergeant board electrician, age 30, killed at Kindu

  • Francesco Paga

    VICTIM

    Airman First Class wireless operator, age 31, killed at Kindu

  • Giorgio Gonelli

    VICTIM

    Captain pilot, age 31, deputy commander, killed at Kindu

  • Antonio Mamone

    VICTIM

    Airman First Class wireless operator, age 28, killed at Kindu

  • Filippo Di Giovanni

    VICTIM

    Master Sergeant engineer, age 42, killed at Kindu

  • Francesco Paolo Remotti

    VICTIM

    First Lieutenant medic, age 29, first person killed at Kindu, shot while trying to escape

  • Onorio De Luca

    VICTIM

    2nd Lieutenant pilot, age 25, killed at Kindu

  • Amedeo Parmeggiani

    VICTIM

    Major pilot, age 43, commanding officer of both aircrews, killed at Kindu

  • Nicola Stigliani

    VICTIM

    Staff Sergeant assembly operator, age 30, killed at Kindu

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • Fairchild C-119G 26040 46-25 Ringway 07.08.54 edited-2

    unclassified

    Fairchild C-119G 26040 46-25 Ringway 07.08.54 edited-2

    Credit: RuthAS · CC BY 3.0 · Source

Places

Kindu Port-Émpain, Congo-Léopoldville (now Kindu, Democratic Republic of the Congo)

-2.9494, 25.9089

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On 11 November 1961, thirteen Italian airmen serving with the UN Operation in the Congo were killed by Congolese National Army (ANC) soldiers in Kindu, Congo-Léopoldville, amid rumors they were spies for the secessionist Katangan faction; their bodies were subsequently mutilated and partially eaten by onlookers.
Where did the crime happen?
Kindu Port-Émpain, Congo-Léopoldville (now Kindu, Democratic Republic of the Congo).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: unsolved. Last verified July 2026.
More cases in Congo - Kinshasa

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICKindu atrocityWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — webspace.webring.comwebspace.webring.com · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — catalogue.bnf.frcatalogue.bnf.fr · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 07, 2026
Last verified against sources
JUL 07, 2026

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