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PICS | Flags flown to hail founding father Patrice Lumumba as DRC celebrates 62 years of independence

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The cortege carrying slain Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba's only surviving remains arrives at Palais du Peuple in Kinshasa.
The cortege carrying slain Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba's only surviving remains arrives at Palais du Peuple in Kinshasa.
Arsene Mpiana / AFP
  • The Democratic Republic of the Congo is marking the 62nd anniversary of its independence.
  • This year's celebrations will honour the country's slain first prime minister Patrice Lumumba.
  • The celebrations come amid high levels of poverty, conflict, and famine in the country.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Thursday marks the 62nd anniversary of its independence.

Flags have been flying at half-mast over the past two days as the country celebrates its founding father Patrice Lumumba.

Belgium returned the remains of the slain Congolese independence hero to his home last week for an emotionally charged tour and burial, more than six decades after his assassination.

The highlight of Thursday's celebrations is the return of Lumumba's remains, but for many it's not enough to reverse the ruin that followed his assassination.

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Lumumba, who served as the country's first prime minister from June to September 1960, was assassinated at the age of 35 when he was pushed out by Joseph Kasa-Vubu. He was killed by a firing squad on 17 January 1961.

His body was dissolved in acid, and only one tooth remained, which was taken by Belgian police officer Gerard Soete.

During a visit to the DRC a fortnight ago, Belgium's King Philippe expressed his "deepest regrets" for the indelible bad mark left by colonisation.

He also promised to return artefacts stolen from the DRC which were now housed in Belgian museums, and the single biggest promise kept was the return of Lumumba's tooth.

Vava Tampa from Save The Congo, a civil society group, said while the gesture by King Philippe was welcome, it was not enough for the people of the DRC.

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Traditional dancers perform at the commemoration of Congo's independence.

"I think Belgium is trying to come to terms with its colonial history. The Belgian king's visit took place 100 years after King Leopold II died. The return of artefacts is welcome and so is an apology for the assassination of Lumumba. 

"But it's not good enough. What's missing here is reparation for 80 years of colonisation that killed more than 10 million Congolese in the first 10 years," he said.

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King Leopold II was the second King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909. In 1885, he established the Congo Free State (now the DRC) by brutally seizing the region.

Lumumba curse

For the past 62 years, the assassination of Lumumba has been viewed as one of the most significant African events of the 20th century.

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The cortege carrying slain Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba's only surviving remains arrives at Palais du Peuple in Kinshasa.

William Mpofu, a researcher at the Centre for Diversity Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, said Lumumba's assassination changed the face of African politics and the inexistence of strong institutions in the DRC and other like countries with natural resources.

"DRC became home to one of the first coups in Africa. In DRC alone, several coup attempts have occurred, with some success. This year in February... President Felix Tshisekedi reported an attempted coup that happened when he was attending the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, of which he was the sitting chair," Mpofu said.

In November 1965, the current president's father, Étienne Tshisekedi, a long-time Congolese opposition politician, took part in the second Mobutu Sese Seko coup.

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Since independence, the DRC has not known peace. The country became a textbook example of a resource-rich but cursed nation.

The country is endowed with minerals such as gold, diamonds, cobalt, and copper, it has hydropower potential, significant arable land, and immense biodiversity. It is also home to the world's second largest rainforest.

However, between poverty, malnutrition, conflict, humanitarian needs and frequent disease outbreaks, the DRC is one of the 10 countries that are most in need.

The World Bank says the "DRC has the third largest population of poor people globally".

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The cortege carrying slain Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba's only surviving remains arrives at Palais du Peuple in Kinshasa.

According to the 2021 United Nations Humanitarian Response Plan for the DRC, the country needs an estimated R17 billion for 2022.

"There are currently over 5.6 million displaced people within the DRC – the highest number in Africa. More than 900 000 Congolese refugees live in neighbouring countries. Given the instability in the region, the DRC itself hosts more than half a million refugees from neighbouring countries.

Reported

"Sexual and gender-based violence is widespread. Violations of human rights and international humanitarian law are reported regularly," said the humanitarian aid department of the European Commission.

About 27 million people – more than a quarter of the population – experience food insecurity. More than 857 000 children are acutely malnourished and require treatment.

In the eastern parts of the country, the M23 rebels are causing havoc. The DRC joined the East African Community (EAC) in April, and the regional body has been trying to calm tempers between the DRC and Rwanda. The two countries have been trading accusations of sponsoring rebels to destabilise each other.

Mpofu warned that if not dealt with, a regional war could occur.

"The eastern part has become a theatre of war, with Uganda and the DRC government battling a number of rebel groups including the M23. The rebel groups are suspected to be proxies of some governments in the sub-region. The threat of an all-out war involving Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi and DRC on DRC soil is real. The DRC is presently a metaphor of African insecurity and disorder," he said.

He added that the African Union [AU] and the United Nations [UN] were being tested for their ability or inability to prevent and mediate or resolve conflicts.

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Unified Lumumbist Party supporters gather during the arrival of slain Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba.

Tampa laid the blame for most of the DRC's woes on its eastern neighbour Rwanda, which, he said, had taken advantage of the DRC's weaknesses.

"DRC's biggest problem today is the near total culture of impunity. This is what has fuelled Paul Kagame (president of Rwanda), as well as the violence, insecurity, famine, and electoral fraud that continue to kill Congolese people. And until this is resolved, and unless an International Criminal Tribunal for Congo is established to end this impunity, peace, prosperity, and good neighbourliness will remain an elusive dream – over 60 years after independence," he said.

The DRC is about 89 times bigger than Rwanda.

Martin Fayulu – leader of the biggest opposition party, the Engagement for Citizenship and Development party – said the DRC was not moving forward.

Poorest

"The country is going backward. There are a lot of problems – from foreign interference to the government's own failure. Sadly, such a [resource]-rich country is one of the poorest in the world," he said.

After Lumumba's assassination, the DRC has never had a legitimate democratically elected leader.

According to Tampa, this is a recurring motif that will last for many years because of foreign interference in his country's affairs. He said this instability was the key to the looting of resources.

"In 2023, Congolese people will vote again for change but, as has been the case since independence, it'll be the West's choice who will lead to maintain the status quo," he said.

"In 1960, for instance, Congolese people voted for Lumumba, but the West wanted Mobutu. So, Lumumba was killed, and Mobutu was kept in power for 32 years of the 20th century to maintain the status quo," he added.

"In 2011, too, Congolese people voted for Etienne Tshisekedi, but the West wanted Joseph Kabila. So, in spite of widespread fraud, which made it impossible for any leader [except Robert Mugabe] to attend Kabila's inauguration in a military camp, he was allowed to cling to power for another eight years, killing and looting with total impunity.

"Again in 2019, Congolese people voted for Martin Fayulu but the West wanted a continuation of Kabila so, Felix Tshisekedi was picked as Kabila's puppet to maintain the status quo," he added.


The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.


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