Patrice Lumumba

Who was Patrice Lumumba?

Patrice Émery Lumumba was a Congolese independence leader and the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo. As founder and leader of the Mouvement national congolais, Lumumba helped win his country's independence from Belgium in 1960.

Within twelve weeks, Lumumba's government was deposed in a coup during the Congo Crisis. The main reason why he was ousted from power was his opposition to Belgian-backed secession of the mineral-rich Katanga province. Lumumba was subsequently imprisoned by state authorities under Joseph-Desiré Mobutu and executed by firing squad under the command of the secessionist Katangan authorities. The United Nations, which he had asked to come to the Congo, did not intervene to save him. Belgium, the United States, and the United Kingdom have all been accused of involvement in Lumumba's death.