"Lumumba was not only the Congo's first prime minister, he was also a firebrand of the continent's anti-colonial movement. On 30 June 1960, independence day, in what has since become a legendary speech, Lumumba eviscerated Belgium in front of its dignitaries and its own king for the untold suffering inflicted on the Congolese."
"The chain of events that triggered his assassination involved separatist Congolese forces, his political rivals and Belgium. It all culminated in Lumumba's detention, torture and killing in January 1961 at the hands of a Congolese firing squad, with the logistical help of Belgian forces."
"Etienne Davignon is the last surviving Belgian, among 10, that the Lumumba family accuses of involvement in the plot. Kabeya tells me something unexpected: people did not speak about Lumumba in the Congo for decades, for all the trauma and pain surrounding his death."
Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was assassinated in 1961, symbolizing the betrayal of the pan-African liberation dream. His assassination involved Belgian forces and local rivals, culminating in his torture and murder. Recently, a Belgian court ruled that former diplomat Etienne Davignon will stand trial for his involvement. Lumumba's legacy remains significant, as his independence speech in 1960 criticized Belgium's colonial exploitation, marking him as a threat to Belgian interests in the Congo.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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