The Sad Story of Patrice Lumumba and How He was Executed and His Body Dissolved in Acid.
It is not out of place to say that Patrice Lumumba stands in the same bracket as Nelson Mandela and Thomas Sankara, he was one of the brightest minds in the continent, he lived a very short life, he died at the age of 35, but his impacts are still being felt in his home country of Congo and everywhere across Africa, check out the story of how he was killed by a firing squad, how his body was hacked bits by bits and why they dissolved his body in sulphuric acid.
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Who Is Patrice Lumumba
Patrice was born on the 2nd day of July 1925, his parents were relatively poor as they were farmers but they were devoted catholic members, he has three other brothers, he attended a Protestant primary school, a Catholic missionary school, before attending the government post office training school, he was a very bright and intelligent student during his days, he was so intelligent that he points out the mistake of his teachers, his early days was just a peep into the kind of life that lies ahead of him, he was also a linguist as he was fluent in French, Swahili, Lingala and his native tribes of Tetela and Tshiluba. Do check the below video for his biography.
Upon becoming a man, Patrice was among those that had the belief that Africa is supposed to be free from the hands of their colonial masters, he was at the forefront of fighting for the Independence of Congo from their Belgians, after much struggle, Congo was granted independence on the 12th of June 1960, because of the vibrant role he played in the struggle, he was made the country’s first prime minister, but what was supposed to be a source of enormous joy turned to be the beginning of his end.
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Where Lumumba’s Problem Began
The United States and Belgium have benefited greatly from the mineral resources of Congo that comprises Cobalt, Copper, and Timber, the Problem of Patrice began from the very beginning of his government, on the day he was made prime minister, he spoke against the oppressive rule of the Belgians, he also sought control of all the mineral resources of the Congo, he promised to unite the various ethnic groups in the country and provide a better life for his people. The Belgians and the United States still have an interest in the mineral resources of the Congolese and the speech of Patrice angered them a lot because he became too ambitious for their liking, the government of Patrice was just two months old when they started plotting his death.
Despite being a very young nation, a city in the country named Katanga broke away from the Congo, this region is very rich in mineral resources and the Belgians were at the forefront of asking Katanga to break away, Patrice sought help from the United States and they turned a blind eye, he then turned to the Soviet Union for help and this angered the Belgians even more as the Soviet Union and the United States were perceived enemies at the time coupled with the fact that the Soviet Union was a communist state, the last thing they want to see is to see Congo become a communist state, they knew they had to get Patrice out of the way immediately before things get out of hand, they seek for help from the army chief named Joseph Mobutu who later changed to Mobutu Sese Seko, they empowered Mobutu and just like a flash, Patrice was arrested and first placed under house arrest.
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The Death Of Patrice Lumumba
He knew the game the Belgians were up to, he managed to escape but Mobutu and his men caught him again, On the 3rd of December 1960 Patrice was first remanded in Thysville military barrack where he and his men were tortured and underfed under the orders of Mobutu, the presence of Patrice in the barracks caused a commotion of some sorts, some soldiers want him released while others want him remanded. The Belgians knew that it is dangerous to leave Patrice in that barrack, an aircraft was provided and he was flown into Katanga which happened to be the base of his enemies before they got to their destination, a firing squad had already been arranged, he was arrested along with two of his men named Joseph Okito and Maurice Mpolo, the Belgians then took over, on the 17th of January 1961, they tied three of them to a drum and fired them one at a time till they passed out.
A shallow grave was dug and their bodies were deposited, on the orders of the Katanga leader, the Belgian then dug up the grave again, they wanted to make their bodies disappear as they don’t want to leave any trace, they took a hand saw and cut the body bit by bit before dissolving it in sulphuric acid, while the bones were grounded and scattered. The death of Patrice led to protest in different countries around the world as they demanded that the Belgian embassies in their various countries be shut down.
Many years later, the Belgians apologized for the role they played in the assassination of Patrice but it is just too late, it is a case of medicine after death, all Patrice wanted was a better life for his people, but he was not given the chance to live long enough to actualize his dream, let us hear your reaction to this article in the comment section.
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