Shortly after he was elected prime minister in 1960, Lumumba was brought down in a coup by General Joseph Mobutu, supported by Belgium and the United States, and his body was destroyed by dissolving it in sulfuric acid.
THE LEAD THAT KILLED LUMUMBA AND THE REMAINING TEETH WAS SHOWED LIVE
A Belgian ex-soldier named Gerard Soete stated in a television program he participated in 2000 that he had hidden the bullet that killed Lumumba and the two remaining teeth, and showed them in front of the cameras.
Known as the “Hero without a Grave”, Lumumba’s tooth was handed over to his family at a ceremony at the Egmont Palace in Brussels.
Belgian King Philippe and Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo also attended the ceremony.
The teeth, the last body part of Lumumba, were delivered to Prime Minister Lumumba’s daughter Juliana Lumumba by Prosecutor Frédéric Van Leeuw, who initiated the legal process in this regard.
Prosecutor Van Leeuw’s lawyer stressed that he saw the delivery ceremony as a great honor “not to turn the page, but to contribute to the common history”. The Belgian prosecutor thanked the Lumumba family for their legal initiative to achieve this and move closer to justice.
“WE CRY TO DEATH WITHOUT KNOWING THE TRUTH”
Patrice Lumumba’s daughter, Juliana Lumumba, began at the ceremony, “Daddy, we your family, Congo, Africa and the world, wept to death without knowing the truth. When and where did you die? We don’t know that. Who killed you? We’re still looking for you,” he began. ‘ he continued.
Juliana Lumumba thanked the King of Belgium for her efforts in the process leading up to the ceremony, and concluded her words by saying, “Daddy, welcome home.”
BELGIUM PRIME MINISTER apologizes
Belgian Prime Minister De Croo said in his speech that “Finally. This word is on everyone’s tongue since morning and finally we want to say it’s too late, too late” and that it is “not normal that the remains of one of the leaders of the Congo nation were kept in Belgium for 60 years and this was never clarified”. ” told.
De Croo said that “today’s ceremony did not honor them either,” and apologized for Belgium’s role in Lumumba’s murder. The Belgian Prime Minister said, “A man was killed for his political beliefs and ideals. As a democrat and liberal, I cannot accept this.”
Prime Minister De Croo underlined that the Belgian authorities of the time condoned the murder of Lumumba and emphasized that they accepted this moral responsibility as the government.
The Belgian Prime Minister continued:
“Today, at my official farewell ceremony, I reiterate this moral responsibility. In front of his family, I would like to apologize for the weight it weighed on Belgium’s decision to take the life of the independent Congo’s first prime minister.”
Congolese Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde also referred to the inequality and racism system that Belgian King Philippe mentioned during his Congo visit and said, “Lumumba warned years ago about what was going on.”
Farewell Ceremony to be held in Congo
Prime Minister Lumumba’s last remains are of great importance to the mourning process for his family and country.
The remains, placed in a coffin made of Congo wood, were taken to the Congo Embassy in Brussels on the shoulders of his family. Greeted by large numbers of Congolese to the accompaniment of the national anthem, the coffin will be sent to Lumumba’s birthplace.
In Congo, he will tour the whole country. He will later be buried in a mausoleum in Limite.
HOW WERE THE REMAINS OF LUMUMBA COVERED?
Prosecutor Frédéric Van Leeuw, who handed over the remains to the family, was instrumental in returning the teeth to the Lumumba family.
After it was revealed that Lumumba’s teeth were left to his daughter Godelieve Soete after the death of Belgian ex-soldier Gerard Soete, a murder investigation was launched in 2012 by the Federal Prosecutor De Leeuw in Belgium, at the request of the former leader’s family.
At the direction of De Leeuw, the remaining teeth of Patrice Lumumba were found during a search of the home of former soldier’s daughter, Godelieve Soete, in 2016.
After this development, Juliana Lumumba demanded these teeth back from the Belgian King Philippe.
Gerard Soete, a member of the Belgian colonial police, said that Lumumba’s body was dismembered and melted in a barrel filled with 200 liters of sulfuric acid.
No DNA testing was performed on the teeth identified as belonging to Lumumba. His family didn’t want it anyway.
“This will probably irreversibly damage or destroy the last thing left of my father,” his son Roland Lumumba told the Belgian media, emphasizing that they did not want to take any risks in this regard.
Patrice Emery Lumumba was one of the leaders in the struggle for independence of the West African country of Congo, a former colony of Belgium. He became the country’s first prime minister after Congo gained independence on 30 June 1960.
However, this time Belgium supported the declaration of independence of Katanga, the richest region of Congo in terms of resources.
APPROACHING THE SOVIET UNION WAS THE END OF LUMUMBA
Thereupon, Lumumba, who sought support in the international arena, first sought help from the United States and the United Nations (UN). When he received a negative response, this time he turned to the Soviet Union. His engagement with Moscow made Lumumba’s tenure short-lived.
Prime Minister Lumumba was removed from power as a result of the military coup carried out by General Joseph Mobutu, supported by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Belgium, on September 14, 1960.
Lumumba, who was arrested by Mobutu forces on December 1, 1960, was shot on January 17, 1961, along with two of his friends, after prolonged torture.
Belgian ex-soldier Gerard Soete, who was present during the execution of the former President, told in a program he participated in Belgian Television in 2000 that Lumumba’s body was dissolved in sulfuric acid.
In its investigation in the early 2000s, the Belgian Parliament’s Commission of Inquiry concluded that the Belgian government had “undeniable responsibility” for Lumumba’s murder.
However, the Belgian administration did not formally take responsibility for the murder. Belgium has apologized to Lumumba’s family for “moral responsibility”. However, the financial compensation promised to his relatives was never paid.
The US government also released documents in 2002 showing that “Lumumba was killed as a result of the financial, political support and training provided by the CIA”.