Special episode on Patrice Lumumba, a great pan-Africanist who dedicated time to save the Congo from West imperialists and exploiters. Many pan-Africanists have always quoted Patrice Lumumba, many regard him as the greatest pan-Africanist on the African continent.
His desire to see a United Congo brought him total and open conflict with many people that at that time had an interest in Congo. Aware of the consequences, Patrice Lumumba used most of his people in the liberation struggle not only in Congo and the African continent.
This openly put them at loggerheads with those that targeted the broad range of mineral resources in Congo. Although theoretically, Congo had gotten independent from Belgium on 30th June 1960, actually most white imperialists were not willing to leave Congo to enjoy the fruits of independence, that Lumumba had championed for.
Like pan-Africanists at that time, it’s known Lumumba received direct threats from those that targeted Congolese-rich mineral resources, however, he didn’t dance to any tunes from such exploiters.
Lumumba was, however, a man of strong character who intended to pursue his policies regardless of the enemies he made within his country or abroad.
To him, Congo, furthermore, was a key area in terms of the geopolitics of Africa, and because of its wealth, size, and proximity to white-dominated southern Africa, Lumumba’s opponents had reason to fear the consequences of a radical or radicalized Congo regime. Moreover, in the context of the Cold War, the Soviet Union’s support for Lumumba appeared at the time as a threat to many in the West.
Unfortunately, On January 17, 1961, Lumumba and two associates, Joseph Okito and Maurice Mpolo, were flown to Elisabethville (now Lubumbashi), where they were delivered to the secessionist regime in Katanga and its Belgian advisors. On the flight there, they had been beaten by the soldiers escorting them, and, once they landed in Katanga, they were beaten again.
Later that day, Lumumba, Okito, and Mpolo were executed by a firing squad under Belgian command. Although their bodies were initially thrown into shallow graves, they were later dug up under the direction of Belgian officers, hacked into pieces, and dissolved in acid or burned by fire.
Kamukama Rukundo Clinton is a Ugandan freelance journalist, book author, and columnist for 1cananews who can be contacted via WhatsApp at +25670439540 and rukundopeter33@gmail.com
