Preparations for colonial wars in West Africa: the case of the Kong column 1887-1895

Abstract

Operating in the Ivory Coast colony from September 1894 to March 1895, the Kong Expeditionary Corps or 'Kong Column' was hardly an ex-nihilo event. Its advent was the result of several factors, notably the beginning of the Samorian invasion, the cancellation of the Ubangi column and its redirection to the Ivory Coast to wage war. In France, most of the preparations for this war were devoted to the granting of budgetary credits to the Ministry of the Colonies by the National Assembly, and the purchase of supplies for the troops. In the colony of Côte d'Ivoire, too, these preparations included the construction of infrastructure and the design of the war plan.

Keywords :Column, Kong, credit, war, material, Samory, Ivory Coast, Paris