Written by Noah Fishman

11:00 pm – 21 April 1961: Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld has been reported dead after his plane was downed over the Republic of the Congo in the midst of massive civil strife in the Congo, when combatants armed with machetes and similar melee weapons attacked a United Nations Civilian Aid Camp, leaving dozens injured and 15 dead.

11:10 pm: Representatives in the Security Council have begun discussing replacing the Secretary-General and a multilateral deployment of troops to secure the crash site of the deceased Secretary-General’s plane.

11:41 pm – Following the death of the Secretary-General, the United Nations Historical Security Council of 1961 decided to focus initially on the plane crash, and subsequently update their responses to protect the site.

“Although it is hard to trust everything Belgium said, they were correct that it is hard to trust everything that the United Nations Operations in the Congo, ONUC, has said,” stated the Representative Harrison Rothschild of France. “We can’t use force until we can establish that any group [was responsible],” – said the Representative of the USSR. On 28 April 1961, Belgium gave a statement that all Belgian citizens should leave the Congo at once, blaming bad weather and pilot failure for the plane crash which killed Secretary-General Hammarskjöld. “It can be rather foggy and misty in the mountains,” said the Secretary-General’s office, but the Secretary-General’s Representative added that there was no further information regarding the pilot, plane instruments or any extenuating systems.

11:44 pm – Numerous placards were raised for points of inquiry to see what Member States the advisors to the Secretary-General hailed from. It was revealed that Belgium did not suggest a specific route for exit, but rather recommended the exit. The final death toll of the plane crash was 15, and that the weather on the night of occurrence was indeed foggy.”

11:47pm – The troops were stationed in Leopoldville with no indication of nationality, and no transmissions received from the aircraft. Both were United Nations personnel. The only temporary survivor of the crash was the co-pilot, and there were no further updates on refugee camp situations. 

11:50 pm – There were not any signs of anything besides bad weather, the report merely states no evidence of foul play in the plane crash. On top of this, there were no bullet holes in the recovered bodies, per France’s inquiry.

12:11 am – Ceylon, Ecuador, Liberia and the United Arab Republic have maintained that they have not changed their position. Additionally, a UN truck was attacked outside of Albertville in Katanga, near the Eastern border, was attacked by militants and abandoned the UN troops four miles outside of the city, generally healthy. The troops are safely back in the city at this time. Eyewitness accounts did not yield any significant information and the militants have not been identified. No militant groups have claimed relevant responsibility. The truck’s intended destination is unclear as of now. While they were authorized with force, the troops were outnumbered by their attackers to an overwhelming degree.

12:45 am – Draft Resolution for Security in the Congo includes and defines “temporary,” in an effort to ensure the expiration of said legislation, under article five. Ecuador requested a specification for what level of decision making was appropriate regarding the use of force and occupation of territories. The UK feels that such discretion should be left to appointed captains, and any violation should be disciplined through the International Court of Justice. The USSR agreed and asserted that they trusted their own officials to report abuse. Ecuador echoed the desire to distance operative clause five from direct bureaucracy enforcement. Turkey has requested more oversight, as they believe that a lower level of accountability introduces danger. Ceylon brought three major issues, first citing an implication of offensive action, in its vague nature, which Ceylon was hesitant to endorse. Second, Ceylon desired a definition of a military faction, which they felt was too vague for the delegations liking. The delegation of Ceylon was cut off prior to introducing their third stipulation. 

12:57 am 10 May- Formal debate resumed, with an announcement from the Secretary-General’s Representative. A riot broke out at the Elisabethville airport, which lasted roughly nine hours before being dispersed by the Katangan government. Buton was appointed Secretary-General to deal with the unfolding situation. The airport was held by ONUC troops prior to the attack. France inquired, revealing that Katanga did not have much interaction with local ONUC troops during and after the riot.

1:05 am – The USSR suggested adding the term equivalent or equal force to Article Five, creating more clarity around the use of force. The Representative of the United Kingdom then pushed back on Ceylon’s assertions that the use of force was a vague assertion, expressing the opinion that this force is defined and clear boundaries are set in the sub clauses. The Representative of France then pointed out their appreciation of Ceylon’s assertion, that there is significant liberty granted in Article Five, which could be reigned in, but also acknowledging that ‘reasonable force’ is different when in wartime. 

1:08 am- Turkey motions for 20 minute suspension of the meeting, to unanimous agreement. Following this suspension of the meeting, UNOC troops reported increased militia movement in Kasai area. Lulua tribes attacked Baluba tribe villages, with no reports of casualty numbers as of yet.The reports stated that these were typically bands of 30-40 people with hand weapons rather than heavy artillery. During the suspension of the meeting Ceylon, Ecuador, France and the United States maintained their previous positions. The Representative of Chile highlighted mining companies which they called to be turned over toward Chilean and Ecuadorian parties.

1:45 – The Security Council entered a consultative session, where the UK immediately asserted their desire to pass Draft Resolution for Security in the Congo as time is ticking by with haste. France and the USSR were the predominant voices in this discussion, focusing on the potential seizing of the Elisabethville airport by ONUC troops. Representatives shouted and quarreled significantly until the Representative of the United Kingdom spoke up to call for the temporary occupations by ONUC troops on sites where violent massacres have occurred.

2:00 – The USSR requested that mines be turned over to the UN as a whole rather than the Chilean and Ecuadorian parties, which was bolstered by the Representative of France. 

2:02 am – Italian ONUC troops were swarmed by a mob of Congolese civilians around the Kivu airfield and killed, while Malaysian troops were merely overwhelmed. The bodies of the dead were hewn with machetes, and subsequently eaten and sold at market. Per Representative Rothschild’s inquiry, this is the first report of troops being cannibalized during this conflict. The specific source of this information remains unclear at this time, and the Italian and Malaysian governments have not commented since the incident.

2:07 am – Representative Rothschild stated that the Council cannot stall on passing this resolution any longer, and that mine jurisdiction and occupation are low priorities compared to humanitarian aid. Representative Jack Asmus of the United States sent a presidential statement draft regarding the Secretary-General’s tragic death, stating that the resolution must be the second priority immediately following this acknowledgement. Representative Asmus subsequently conceded the issue to the UK and France, stating that their previous call to action was too hasty. 

2:13 am – France proposes a suspension of the meeting, which passed with only the UK abstaining. This session was extended after the fact. 

2:34 am – The Council returned to formal session. A member of the Secretary-General’s office announced a report that 44 Congolese civilians were massacred by Congolese militia soldiers when they opened fire indiscriminately on the civilians position in the city of Luluabourg near Ndesha. 

2:42 am – Representative Rothschild of France added a preambulatory clause condemning violence against civilians in the Resolution for Security in the Congo. The body then entered a five minute consultative session at the behest of the United Arab Republic.

2:47 am – The Council returned to formal session and France and Ecuador once again asserted the need to pass the resolution with haste.

2:57 am – Ceylon motioned for a suspension of the meeting for 15 minutes, which passed with only the UK opposing and China abstaining.

3:20 am – The Council returned to formal session and the United Kingdom voted for an immediate five minute suspension, which the President recommended against. The Security Council then remained in formal session to go through a formal voting procedure on Resolution for Security in the Congo. The resolution, renamed HSC/2, was adopted with nine in favor, none opposed and two abstentions. Representative Asmus of the United States clarified their abstention based on the position that the Chinese movement toward the non-aligned side has been continually detrimental to the United States’ desire for containment in the Congo. 

3:30 am – The United Kingdom motioned to suspend the meeting until 10 am on November 26, which passed despite France opposing and China abstaining.