sentences:  Like other colonial armies of the time, the "Force Publique" was racially segregated; it was commanded by 280 white officers and NCOs but other ranks were exclusively native Congolese.The "Force Publique" had never been allowed the more modern equipment given to the Belgian army before the war, and consequently had to use outdated equipment and weapons, like the Stokes mortar and the Saint Chamond 70 mm howitzer.In June 1940, three battalions of the "Force Publique" were sent to Abyssinia alongside British forces to fight the Italians in the East African Campaign.