Patrice Lumumba

Patrice Émery Lumumba ( pə-TREESS luu-MUUM-bə; born Isaïe Tasumbu Tawosa; 2 July 1925 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese politician, independence leader, and revolutionary who served as the first prime minister of the First Congolese Republic (modern day Democratic Republic of the Congo) from June until September 1960, following his party's success in the May 1960 election. Lumumba was the leader of the Congolese National Movement (MNC) from 1958 until his assassination in 1961. Ideologically an African nationalist and pan-Africanist, he played a significant role in the transformation of the Congo from a colony of Belgium into an independent republic.

Shortly after Congolese independence in June 1960, an army mutiny marked the beginning of the Congo Crisis. Both Katanga and South Kasai declared independence, which Lumumba responded to by sending the Congolese army to put down the secessions. This created a political crisis that resulted in then President Joseph Kasa-Vubu dismissing Lumumba and his government. This was followed by a coup led by Mobutu Sese Seko. Lumumba attempted to escape to Stanleyville to join his supporters who had established a new anti-Mobutu state called the Free Republic of the Congo, but he was captured by state authorities under Mobutu, and sent to Elisabethville in Katanga. He was tortured and later executed by the separatist Katangan authorities of Moïse Tshombe, alongside Belgian mercenaries. His body was later dissolved in acid. In 2002, Belgium formally apologised for its role in the execution, admitting "moral responsibility". In 2022, Lumumba's tooth was returned by the Belgian government to his family.

Lumumba is widely seen as a martyr for anti-colonial liberation and the pan-African movement.