Friday, August 24, 2012
Historic Turning Points
Here is a photographs of Patrice Lumumba some time between his arrest on December 1, 1960 and his execution by firing squad on January 17, 1961.
He was the first democratically elected prime minister and had helped free the country from Belgian colonial rule. However the government he served was overthrown within 3 months of freedom from Belgium by Col. Joseph Mobutu who became and remained dictator for life until his overthrow by a Tutsi led rebellion in the First Congo War (11/96 to 5/97).
There are those who believe that Lumumba was an American caused casualty of the Cold War. I think he was merely a victim of Congo internecine politics.
Labels: Patrice Lumumba; Congo independence
# posted by Roger Fraley @ 4:03 PM 
