Ugeux started his career at Belgian newspaper
La Libre Belgique, before moving to the colonial capital of the
Belgian Congo,
Léopoldville, in 1950. Ugeux worked in the
Belgian Congo at the radio station
Radio Congo belge. Together with his colleague
André Scohy, he founded the
Belgo-Congolese Cultural Group (
Groupement culturel belgo-congolais) in 1954. Congolese members of the group included
Justin Bomboko,
Albert Delvaux,
Joseph Ileo,
Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, and
Moïse Tshombe. He later became a colonial civil servant, serving as the director of information of the colonial government until independence on 30 June 1960. He met sergeant
Joseph-Désiré Mobutu for the first time in 1956, who would later become President of the
Congo/Zaire. Ugeux helped him in his pursuit to become a journalist.
Katangese Secretariat of State for Information Eleven days after Congolese independence, the southern province of
Katanga seceded under the lead of
Moïse Tshombe and with covert Belgian backing. In October 1960, Belgian Prime Minister
Gaston Eyskens and his Minister for African Affairs informed Ugeux that President of the
newly independent State of Katanga Moïse Tshombe wanted him to become
Chef de Cabinet of the newly appointed Secretary of State for Information
Lucas Samalenge. He left for Katanga's capital
Élisabethville and accepted the position. His wife joined him a week later whereas their children stayed in Belgium. When Congolese Prime Minister
Patrice Lumumba and fellow imprisoned politicians
Maurice Mpolo and
Joseph Okito were sent to Katanga during the afternoon of 17 January 1961, Ugeux was at the
Cinéma Palace movie theatre with Samalenge and Tshombe at a screening of the
Moral Re-Armament campaign when Tshombe was called to his residence. == Journalistic career ==