Tshombe initiated the second Shaba war the following year. This time, his forces swiftly took control of Kolwezi. Western powers were reluctant to enter the fray a second time. Some say that a frantic Mobutu ordered his troops to kill Europeans in Kolwezi to spark Western intervention. After hundreds of Europeans were killed, French and Belgian paratroopers, with air support from the United States, dropped on Kolwezi. The ensuing battle resulted in the destruction of much of the city and hundreds of civilian casualties before control was finally wrested from the rebels.
