African leaders whose fatal torture is still shrouded in mystery and secrecy

Patrice Lumumba

Tortured for days in one of the most organized killings of an African hero, Patrice Lumumba was brutally assassinated and his body dissolved with acid, all in a bid to remove his memory from history by what is believed to be a plot between the United States and its ally – the colonisers of Congo, Belgium.

Since January 17, 1961, when he was killed, no one has been held accountable for the brutal murder of Congo’s independence leader and first prime minister who was shot dead with two of his ministers, Joseph Okito and Maurice Mpolo.

However, all fingers have pointed to multinational perpetrators who sanctioned the elimination of one of Africa’s bravest politicians and independence heroes who stood his ground against colonizers.

Only three months into the new and independent Congo, soldiers mutinied against Belgian commanders who refused to leave and some regions, including the mineral-rich Katanga and South Kasai, rebelled against the central government and seceded with the backing of Belgian troops who were sent to protect their interests.

The Congolese government called for the United Nation’s help and a resolution was passed by the Security Council calling on Belgium to withdraw its troops. UN peacekeepers were sent into the Congo to restore order and “use force in the last resort” to secure the country’s territories.

However, Belgium did not leave and the UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld failed to provide the Congolese government with military assistance as demanded by Lumumba and sanctioned by the Security Council. He also ignored the prime minister’s appeal to send troops to Katanga but rather chose to negotiate with secession leader Moise Tshombe.

The country was in turmoil and Lumumba got no help from the West and the United Nations. He called on Russia and the Soviet Union sent weapons and “technical advisors” which incensed the United States.

U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower was reported to have given the order for his assassination without any discussion. Lawrence Devlin, CIA station chief in Congo at the time, told the BBC in 2000 that a CIA plan to lace Lumumba’s toothpaste with poison was never carried out.