Niemba ambush

The Niemba ambush took place on 8 November 1960, when an Irish Army patrol in Congo-Léopoldville was ambushed, the first time the Irish Army was embroiled in battle since the Irish Civil War. The Republic of Ireland had deployed troops as United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC) peacekeepers. The notoriety of the attack, and the allegations of mutilation and cannibalism that circulated in the Irish popular press in its aftermath, led to the word "baluba" (sometimes spelled "balooba") becoming a synonym for any "untrustworthy and barbaric" individual in certain parts of Ireland.

Niemba ambush

The Niemba ambush took place on 8 November 1960, when an Irish Army patrol in Congo-Léopoldville was ambushed, the first time the Irish Army was embroiled in battle since the Irish Civil War. The Republic of Ireland had deployed troops as United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC) peacekeepers. The notoriety of the attack, and the allegations of mutilation and cannibalism that circulated in the Irish popular press in its aftermath, led to the word "baluba" (sometimes spelled "balooba") becoming a synonym for any "untrustworthy and barbaric" individual in certain parts of Ireland.