Sixty-five years ago, Congo's freedom fighter Lumumba was assassinated

Sixty-five years ago, Congo's freedom fighter Lumumba was assassinated. Patrice Lumumba, sometimes also called Patrick Lumumba, was the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo after its independence from Belgium in June 1960. Lumumba was born on July 2, 1925, in Onalua, Belgian Congo, and rose from humble beginnings through self-education and political activism. In 1958, he co-founded the Congolese National Movement (MNC), which campaigned for independence and unity to combat tribal conflicts. Lumumba advocated for a united, pan-African, and truly independent Congo, free from Belgium's continued economic and political control. His famous, uncompromising Independence Day speech on June 30, 1960, in which he denounced Belgian colonialism before King Baudouin, made him a hero to many Africans and a destabilizing figure in the eyes of Western powers and Belgian interests. Lumumba became Prime Minister amidst great hopes for a united Congo, but immediately faced crises such as mutinies in the army and the secession of Katanga led by Moïse Tshombe. Initially, he sought help from the United Nations, but in frustration, he turned to the Soviet Union, alarming the Western powers. In September 1960, Patrice Lumumba was dismissed by President Kasavubu and later arrested by Joseph Mobutu's troops. On January 17, 1961, he was flown to Katanga, where he was tortured and executed by the Katangan authorities with Belgian involvement. Belgium apologized for its role in 2002. An apology is insufficient, as Belgium played a significant role in the assassination of Patrice Lumumba on January 17, 1961, through military intervention, political pressure, and direct logistical support of his opponents in the secessionist Katanga regime. Shortly after independence in July 1960, Belgium sent troops to the Congo, ostensibly to protect its own population, but in reality to strengthen Katanga province, where Lumumba's opponents held power with the support of Belgian mining companies like Union Minière. Belgian officials facilitated Lumumba's transfer from Kinshasa to Katanga, even though they knew this endangered his life. The execution was overseen by Belgian police commissioner Frans Verscheure; the firing squad also included the Belgian mercenary Julien Gat. Gérard Soete, another Belgian police commissioner, later admitted to exhuming Lumumba's body and dissolving it in sulfuric acid to destroy evidence. The Belgian government financed anti-Lumumba politicians, propaganda, and opposition media—to the equivalent of €6.2 million today—and pressured President Kasa-Vubu to dismiss him. Prime Minister Gaston Eyskens and his advisors orchestrated the efforts to remove Lumumba from political life, fearing his Soviet sympathies during the Cold War. A Belgian parliamentary inquiry in 2001 established "irrefutable" responsibility for the events that led to his death. In response, Foreign Minister Louis Michel apologized in 2002 for the government's "moral responsibility." More recent developments include plans to prosecute Belgian officials in 2025 and a planned court hearing in 2026 regarding the indictment of a diplomat. Belgium is currently deciding whether former diplomat Étienne Davignon will face trial. Former Belgian police commissioner Gérard Soete recounted what happened after the execution. The body was exhumed. Soete had dismembered the body with a saw and then dissolved it in sulfuric acid. He kept some bone fragments and teeth. All of this happened 65 years ago. On January 20, a court hearing will take place in Belgium for the first time. The court is to decide whether the last surviving Belgian, allegedly complicit in the events, will stand trial: Étienne Davignon, then a young diplomat, later a pillar of the Belgian political establishment. Étienne Davignon was a high-ranking insider in the Belgian government who feared and was hostile to Lumumba. Decades later, as a respected statesman, his testimony before a parliamentary inquiry committee helped Belgium acknowledge and confront its historical responsibility for Lumumba's tragic fate. Davignon represents the Belgian state apparatus of 1960, while Lumumba embodies its most significant Congolese adversary. Their fates are inextricably linked by the decolonization crisis, the Cold War, and a political crime that shaped the destiny of Central Africa. Patrice Lumumba was the victim, a symbol of the African liberation movement, which was extinguished through Belgian involvement. In June 2025, the Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office requested the opening of proceedings. Is Davignon guilty of complicity in "war crimes," as Lumumba's murder is classified? Is he also guilty of the illegal arrest and transfer of a prisoner of war who was treated inhumanely and denied his rights? Lumumba's family had already filed a corresponding lawsuit in 2011. There is strong historical evidence that the USA was involved in the murder of Patrice Lumumba in January 1961. The CIA developed plans to poison Lumumba's toothpaste or food and supported his political opponents as well as Belgian colonial interests. CIA Director Allen Dulles described Lumumba as a "grave danger" as long as he lived. Although the USA did not directly carry out the execution, it created the conditions by removing Lumumba from his post, funding rebels, and pressuring local actors. Investigations and evidence. The US Church Committee (1975/76) and Belgian investigations confirmed the role of the US and Belgium; documents from the Kennedy archives reveal Eisenhower's order. Lumumba's death was carried out by separatists, but with the knowledge and support of Washington. Sources: https://taz.de/Mord-an-Patrice-Lumumba/!6146805/ https://youtube.com/shorts/dm9fp9HtDZY?si=CyGli-vGWrGRR9p1

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