On Monday, Africans remember the 61st anniversary of the death of Patrice Lumumba, an anti-colonial leader who fought for the independence of the Congo from Belgium and became this country’s prime minister. Born on July 2, 1925, in Katako-Kombe municipality, Lumumba studied in a Catholic school and later in a Swedish-run Protestant school. Since his youth, he stood out for his academic results and links to anti-imperialist and pacifist organizations.
In 1958, he founded the Congolese National Movement, which advocated the creation of an independent and secular State whose unitary political structures would overcome social differences. The movement became the first national political party.
After winning the first Congolese free elections in 1960, Lumumba was appointed Prime Minister and started promoting social policies that pleased the population but caused the Belgian entrepreneurs to prompt the rebellion of some army units to preserve their interests.
Following the Colonel Mobutu Sese Seko military coup, Lumumba was arrested while he attempted to meet his supporters in the eastern Congo and killed by U.S.-backed Katanga rebel troops in 1961.
— source telesurenglish.net | 17 Jan 2022