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Patrice Lumumba's Ideals 'Are Still Relevant' 64 Years After His Assassination, Historian Says

CC0 / Herbert Behrens (ANEFO) / Patrice Lumumba in Brussels
Patrice Lumumba in Brussels - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 17.01.2025
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Sixty-four years ago, Patrice Lumumba, the national hero of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was assassinated at the age of 35.
Lumumba advocated for true independence and sovereignty for the Congo, convinced that it was the basis for building African unity, Amzat Boukari-Yabara, a pan-Africanist historian of Beninese origin, told Sputnik Africa.
Patrice Lumumba criticized neocolonialism and, in particular, multinationals "that participate in the direct plundering of the Congo and the African continent," Boukari-Yabara noted.
The former prime minister of the DRC also stressed the importance of "decolonizing international bodies, particularly the United Nations Security Council, so that there is true sovereignty and true multipolarity at the level of international bodies."
"If we really want to elevate Lumumba to the rank of national hero, this work on justice must be carried through to the end so that we can consider that his soul rests in peace," Boukari-Yabara stated.
 Patrice Lumumba - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 17.01.2025
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Lumumba is "a symbol of the anti-colonialist struggle," the historian pointed out, stressing that "he was incorruptible and deeply attached to the idea of ​​the liberation of the African continent."
On January 17, 1961, Lumumba and his comrades were shot by Katangese soldiers under the command of Belgian officers and buried at the scene of the execution.
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