DRC buries with honors the remains of independence leader Patrice Lumumba

June 30. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The only remaining remains of Patrice Lumumba, one of the heroes of the independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), rest since Thursday in a mausoleum inaugurated in the Limete Tower, in the capital, Kinshasa.

The Belgian authorities handed over ten days ago to the family of Lumumba, one of the heroes of the independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), one of the teeth that were extracted after his execution in 1961 as part of the coup d’état in the African country the previous year.

Lumumba served as Congolese Prime Minister after the first elections held in the African country as an independent nation, in May 1960, after gaining independence from the colonialist yoke of the Kingdom of Belgium.

The presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo, Félix Tshisekedi and Denis Sassou Nguesso, respectively, participated in the ceremony on Thursday, which was also attended by relatives of Lumumba, according to Radio Okapi.

“This memorable day is, therefore, the epilogue of the very long process of the return of this father of our independence. It finally gives us the opportunity, as a people, to fulfill the duty prescribed by the ancient traditions bequeathed by our ancestors, and thus finish , in the company of the Lumumba family, this mourning that began 61 years ago,” Tshisekedi said.

In his speech, the head of state has not only praised the figure of Lumumba, but also of Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito, two other independence heroes who lost their lives along with Lumumba in defense of the sovereignty of the African nation.

Finally, Tshisekedi has invited all citizens to make this point of the capital a commemoration point that also serves to remember and extol the figure of Lumumba and the patriotic values ​​of the DRC.

Lumumba was appointed prime minister after the victory of the Congolese National Movement (MNC) in the 1960 elections. After that, the province of Katanga (east) seceded with the support of Belgium, interested in its mineral deposits, which made Lumumba resort to the help of the Soviet Union, in the framework of the Cold War.

Finally, his firm anti-colonial stance and internal tensions led him to be dismissed by President Joseph Kasavubu. Despite this, Lumumba insisted on remaining in office, for which he was placed under house arrest, guarded by the United Nations.

Lumumba managed to escape arrest after the coup by Colonel Joseph Désiré Mobutu. However, government troops managed to capture him and this time the United Nations refused to protect him.

On January 17, 1961, he was kidnapped while crossing the Sankuru River to be transferred to the Thysville military camp and was shot that same day along with other leaders. In 1966, he was declared a national hero.