Comité Spécial du Katanga

The Special Committee of Katanga (Comité Spécial du Katanga, or CSK) was a parastatal body created in 1900 by the Congo Free State and the Compagnie du Katanga. At first it was responsible for administering the huge Katanga Province on behalf of the Free State and for exploiting the province's mineral resources. Mineral exploration and mining were soon delegated to separate companies. After the Belgian Congo took over from the Free State in 1908, the CSK handed over its administrative powers to the provincial government. However, as a parastatal it remained responsible for many aspects of development in Katanga until independence in 1960, when it was dissolved. The Compagnie du Katanga was founded in 1891 to explore the southeast of the Congo Free State. Under agreements of March 1891 and May 1896 the company was to occupy and develop Katanga, and in return gained full ownership of 1/3 of the land in Katanga Province and a 99-year license to exploit the minerals in the granted land. Given the difficulty of determining the land boundaries, in 1900 the Compagnie du Katanga and the Congo Free State created the Comité Spécial du Katanga (CSK) to manage all the territory, with profits shared between the Compagnie du Katanga (1/3) and the Free State (2/3). The Congo Free State and the Compagnie du Katanga entrusted the CSK with their shared land and mineral rights, and authorized the CSK with managing this property. The CSK was created with a 99-year term. It was given economic and administrative rights over a territory of . A decree of 6 December 1900 delegated the authority of the state to the CSK in Katanga. The CSK was given all the mines in Katanga, which it could manage directly or subcontract to concessionary companies. The CSK had complete powers of administration, management and alienation over the territory. In 1900-1901 the CSK signed an agreement with the entrepreneur Robert Williams and the British Tanganyika Concessions (TCL). TCL was authorized to prospect for minerals in Katanga for five years, and to exploit the mines that were found with CSK for 30 years.