Congo Arab war From 1886 to 1892, the
Society of Missionaries of Africa had founded
Catholic missions at the north and south ends of
Lake Tanganyika. Léopold Louis
Joubert, a
French soldier and armed auxiliary, was dispatched by Archbishop
Charles Lavigerie's
Society of Missionaries of Africa to protect the missionaries. The missionaries abandoned three of the new stations due to attacks by
Tippu Tip and
Rumaliza. By 1891 the
Zanzibari slavers had control of the entire western shore of the lake, apart from the region defended by Joubert around Mpala and St Louis de Mrumbi. The
anti-slavery expedition under captain Jacques—financed by the
Belgian Anti-Slavery Society—came to the relief of Joubert on 30 October 1892. When the Jacques expedition arrived Joubert's garrison was down to about two hundred men, poorly armed with "a most miscellaneous assortment of chassepots, Remingtons and muzzle-loaders, without suitable cartridges". He also had hardly any medicine left. Captain Jacques asked Joubert to remain on the defensive while his expedition moved north. On 3 January 1892, captain Jacques' anti-slavery expedition founded the fortress of
Albertville on the shores of
Lake Tanganyika, and tried to put an end to the slave trade in the region.
Rumaliza's troops surrounded Albertville on 5 April and besieged the outpost for 9 months. Eventually Rumaliza's forces had to retreat because of the arrival of the
Long-Duvivier-Demol Anti-Slavery expedition, a relief column sent from Brussels at captain Jacques's aide. In 1894 he returns to Belgium, he serves as a colonial official in the
Congo Free State from 1895 to 1898 and finally returns to the Congo Free State in 1902 to work on the railway line that connects Bas-Congo to Katanga.
World War I Jacques was promoted to major in the Belgian army in 1908, lieutenant colonel in 1913 and colonel in 1914 as he took command of the 12th regiment. He obtained the rank of major general in 1915 and became a three-star general in 1916, taking command of the
3rd Army division. Because of his exceptional service during
World War I, he was made Baron and received several decorations. == Title, honours and arms ==