Force Publique

Force Publique
Force Publique soldiers on parade with their Belgian officer in the late 1940s
Active	1877–1960
Allegiance	Congo Free State (to 1908)  Belgian Congo (1908–1960) Republic of the Congo (1960)
Type	Colonial army
Size	c. 17,000 (1914)[1] c. 23,500 (1960)[2]
Nickname(s)	FP
Engagements	Congo–Arab War World War I World War II

The Force Publique (French: [fɔʁs pyblik], "Public Force"; Dutch: Openbare Weermacht) was a gendarmerie and military force in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1877 (when the territory was known as the Congo Free State), through the period of Belgian colonial rule (Belgian Congo – 1908 to 1960). The FP was retitled as the Congolese National Army or ANC in July 1960 after independence.