The Congolese Government last night decreed martial law over the entire Congo for a period of six months. The decree, signed by President Kasavubu and M. Lumumba, gave "the gravity of the situation" as the reason. The decision was announced by the Congolese Prime Minister at a press conference at which only a handful of reporters were present. Most correspondents had walked away after bayonets were pointed at them in front of his residence.

The Congolese Premier also called for the withdrawal of all Swedish troops from the Congo and spoke of the "well-known" connection between the Swedish and Belgian royal families. Swedish troops "have done a very bad job." He accused them of opposing the authority of his Government and of "defending Belgian army officers."

Lumumba announced the setting up of "People's Courts" to try people disturbing the national peace. He demanded the immediate return of the Congo's gold deposits, which, he asserted, were "stolen" by Belgium before independence. Belgian property in the Congo would be seized unless it was returned within two weeks. He continued with a long denunciation of Belgian policies, and repeated charges lodged against Mr Hammarskjöld of favouring the breakaway Katanga Government. He said that Mr Hammarskjöld was a friend of M. Wigny, the Belgian Foreign Minister, who he called the "chief inspirator."

Mr Hammarskjöld returned to New York from Leopoldville last night to report to the Security Council on the crisis in the Congo. A meeting of the council is expected tomorrow. Congolese police and gendarmes carried out a house-to-house search for Belgian "spies" in the European quarter of Leopoldville yesterday. Raids were made on United Nations headquarters, hotels and private homes. About a dozen UN officials were among the people arrested. Truckloads of Congolese police and soldiers drove through the main streets in the morning. Europeans going to work – including United Nations personnel – were stopped and thrust into the mobile wire cages while their identity was checked. The raids lasted more than two hours.

The reason given for the raids was that Belgian paratroops and "spies" were operating in Leopoldville wearing United Nations armbands. The UN officials were later released but an unknown number of Europeans is still being held. Some people in Leopoldville believe that the real reason for the raids is that M. Lumumba, feeling more and more isolated, wanted to show his strength both to the Congolese and the United Nations. It is believed that, in face of the attitude of some of his own Cabinet, he must achieve victory soon over M. Tshombe, the Katanga Prime Minister.

Tshombe said in Elizabethville last night that he would like President Nkrumah of Ghana and Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia to visit the Congo and see the situation for themselves. Dr Nkrumah is considering his invitation to visit Katanga, according to Ghana Radio.

[Patrice Lumumba, the first democratically elected prime minister of the Congo, was deposed in September 1960, and executed by firing squad on 17 January 1961]