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Antoine Gizenga

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Antoine Gizenga
human
Ein sex anaa gendermale Edit
Ein country of citizenshipDemocratic Republic of the Congo Edit
Name in native languageAntoine Gizenga Edit
Name wey dem give amAntoine Edit
Ein date of birth5 October 1925 Edit
Place dem born amMushiko, Mushiko Edit
Date wey edie24 February 2019 Edit
Place wey edieKinshasa Edit
KiddieLugi Gizenga Edit
Languages edey speak, rep anaa signFrench Edit
Ein occupationpolitician Edit
Position eholdPrime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Vice Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Edit
Political party ein memberUnified Lumumbist Party Edit

Antoine Gizenga (5 October 1925 – 24 February 2019) be a Congolese politician den statesman wey serve as de prime minister of de Democratic Republic of the Congo from 30 December 2006 to 10 October 2008. He be de secretary-general of de Unified Lumumbist Party (PALU).

Early life

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Dem born Antoine Gizenga on 5 October 1925 insyd de small village of Mbanze insyd present day Kwilu province insyd what was then de Belgian Congo.[1][2] He attend a Catholic missionary primary school wey na he receive ein secondary education at de Kinzambi den Mayidi seminaries. He cam be an ordained Catholic priest insyd 1947 den lead a parish out of ein home insyd Kwilu. He leave ein position for personal reasons wey he take several clerical den accounting jobs. After briefly serving insyd law enforcement for de colonial government, Gizenga become a teacher at a secondary Catholic school. He soon thereafter marry Anne Mbuba, plus whom he later get four kiddies.[2]

Early political career

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Inspired by de nationalist den Pan-Africanist ideas of Patrice Lumumba, de co-founder of de Mouvement National Congolais, Gizenga help to organize de Parti Solidaire Africain (which was openly left leaning).[2] He later become de leader of de party. Following independence den free elections insyd 1960, Gizenga become Lumumba ein deputy prime minister of de new Republic of the Congo.[3]

Insyd September, President Joseph Kasa-Vubu dismiss Lumumba den Gizenga from ein positions for de former ein decision to involve de Soviet Union insyd de Congo Crisis. Lumumba dey protest, den de government go into a deadlock over de issue. A coup launch shortly thereafter by Colonel Joseph Mobutu politicall incapacitate both Lumumba den de President, though Mobutu soon developed a working relationship plus de latter. Na Gizenga object to de new government den leaf for Stanleyville on 13 November to form ein own.[4] On 12 December, he declare ein government, de Free Republic of de Congo, to be de legitimate ruling authority insyd de Congo.[5] Lumumba dey attempt to join him, but be arrested den eventually executed insyd de State of Katanga insyd January 1961.[3] Gizenga ein government dey persist for half de year dey garnered diplomatic recognition from de Soviet Union, China, den Egypt, though e receive no logistical support.[2]

Insyd August, Gizenga agree to rejoin de regular Congolese government as deputy prime minister, now under de leadership of Cyrille Adoula. Aside from ein reinstatement ceremony, he choose to stay out of Léopoldville den remain insyd Stanleyville. Gizenga soon realized dat Adoula plus under de influence of Western governments den willing to negotiate plus rebel leader Moise Tshombe. He denounce Adoula den declare dat de government be committing treason.[2]

Insyd January 1962 de Congolese Assembly demand dat Gizenga return to Léopoldville to hear charges levy against him for leading a rebel government. He reply dat he will only come back when de Katangan secession be resolved. Gizenga then attempted to arrest Armée Nationale Congolaise Commander-in-Chief Victor Lundula den a UN official, both of whom be insyd Stanleyville to investigate de Kindu atrocity. De plan backfired when Gizenga ein wey militiamen refused to obey his orders. Clashes between his regular supporters and Congolese soldiers ensued, wey result insyd several deaths. United Nations Secretary General U Thant ordered peacekeeping troops to restore order insyd Stanleyville, while Adoula had Gizenga placed under house arrest by UN den Congolese troops. He be flown back to Léopoldville via UN aircraft den detained at Camp Kokolo.[6]

Gizenga turn down an offer of UN protection den be eventually imprison on de island Bula Mbemba which lie insyd de mouth of de Congo River. Insyd July 1964 Tshombe become prime minister den, as part of an attempted political reconciliation, ordered Gizenga ein release. Insyd spite of dis, Gizenga quickly organised a Lumumbist party den denounced Tshombe ein handling of de Simba rebellion. As a result, Gizenga be placed under house arrest insyd September. Mobutu seized power insyd a coup insyd November 1965, thereby freeing Gizenga. He fled to Congo-Brazzaville, though he soon settled insyd Moscow to pursue a doctorate insyd political science.[2]

Over de next couple of years Gizenga travel to Egypt, Guinea, Mali, den Ghana to solicit support for de fractured den crumbling anti-Mobutu movement. Insyd 1973 he briefly joined Laurent-Désiré Kabila ein China-backed rebel group insyd eastern Zaire (as De Congo be then called), thereby losing Soviet support. He then moved to France, but be deported to Algeria. After briefly living insyd Angola, na he return to de Republic of the Congo before finally settling insyd Canada. Mobutu invited him to return to Zaire insyd 1977 to serve as a figurehead for opposition groups, but Gizenga declined.[4]

Later political career

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Mobutu begin democratizing Zaire insyd 1990, allowing Gizenga to return to de country. By 1993, he had consolidated Lumumbist organizations into de Parti Lumumbiste Unifié (PALU). De party had very few members, but Gizenga gained respect for ein history of opposing Mobutu. He dey support Laurent-Désiré Kabila ein seizure of power insyd 1997, which dey result insyd de country ein name being changed back to Democratic Republic of de Congo. De following year ein house be ransacked by police den several PALU demonstrators be shot, den he subsequently opposed Kabila ein leadership.[7]

On 25 September 2008, Gizenga dey submit ein resignation as Prime Minister to Kabila. Later insyd de day he announce dis on television, saying dat he decided to resign due to ein advanced age. According to Gizenga, he feel unable to continue insyd office: "For every man, even if you be sane den alert, your body has limits which you have to recognise". He no dey receive a response from Kabila at dat point. Reacting to de news, de opposition Movement for de Liberation of Congo (MLC) said dat Gizenga ein "resignation constitutes an admission of failure den negligence from a government which, after nearly two years, leave de country insyd a general state of crisis". De MLC dispute Gizenga ein statement dat ein resignation be related to age den health.[8] Kabila reportedly "officially acknowledged" Gizenga ein resignation insyd a letter sent to Gizenga on 28 September.[9] De governing coalition, de Alliance for de Presidential Majority, remain insyd place after Gizenga ein resignation, den negotiations dey hold regarding de selection of a successor to Gizenga.[10]

Ein successor, Adolphe Muzito, be appointed by Kabila on 10 October 2008; Muzito be sana a member of PALU den den Minister of de Budget insyd Gizenga ein government. Gizenga promptly resume ein duties as Secretary-General of PALU on 13 October 2008, 13 months after delegating them to Remy Mayele.[11]

On 30 June 2009, e be announce dat Kabila had designated Gizenga as a National Hero, de DRC ein highest honor. Ein admission to de Order of de National Heroes Kabila-Lumumba make am ein only living member den entitled him to a "monthly payment equivalent to de earnings of a prime minister, a residence, a garage plus six vehicles, a guard wey include 12 members of de national police".[12]

Gizenga die at de Centre Médical de Kinshasa on 24 February 2019, aged 93.[13][14]

References

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  1. ↑ Gizenga, Antoine (2011). Ma vie et mes luttes. Editions L'Harmattan. p. 11. ISBN 9782296472204. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Akyeampong, Emmanuel Kwaku; Gates, Jr., Henry Louis (February 2, 2012). Dictionary of African Biography. Vol. 6 (illustrated ed.). OUP USA. pp. 466–468. ISBN 9780195382075. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Watkins, Thayer. "Patrice Lumumba: The Truth About His Life and Legacy". San Jose State University. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kisangani, Emizet Francois (2016). Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (4 ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 263–264. ISBN 9781442273160.
  5. ↑ James, Alan (1996). Britain and the Congo Crisis, 1960–63 (illustrated ed.). Springer. pp. xix. ISBN 9781349245284. Archived from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  6. ↑ O'Ballance 1999, pp. 64-65
  7. ↑ Villafana, Frank R. (2011). Cold War in the Congo: The Confrontation of Cuban Military Forces, 1960-1967. Transaction Publishers. p. 193. ISBN 9781412815222.
  8. ↑ "Opposition jumps on Congo resignation 'failure'". Google News. Archived from the original on 2012-09-25. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
  9. ↑ "DR Congo president 'acknowledges' PM's resignation". Google News. Archived from the original on 2012-09-26. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
  10. ↑ Franz Wild, "Congo Coalition to Stay After Premier's Departure (Update1)", Bloomberg.com, 30 September 2008.
  11. ↑ "allAfrica.com: Congo-Kinshasa: PALU - A. Gizenga reprend ses fonctions de secrétaire général". fr.allafrica.com (in French). Archived from the original on 2012-02-16. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
  12. ↑ "AFP: DR Congo's ex-PM, Antoine Gizenga, made national hero". www.google.com. Archived from the original on 2010-04-13. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
  13. ↑ "Antoine Gizenga est décédé". Actualite.cd (in French). 24 February 2019. Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  14. ↑ "Décès de Gizenga, ancien Premier ministre et compagnon de Lumumba". VOA. 24 February 2019. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
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