The Assassination of Lumumba

by Ann Wright (Translator), Ann Wright (Translator), Ludo De De Witte (Author), Renee Fenby (Translator)

New
Illustrated
2002
$33.88

Patrice Lumumba, first prime minister of the Republic of Congo and a pioneer of African unity, was assassinated on 17 January 1961. His crime had been to defy the Belgian government which sought to maintain a covert imperialist hand over the country even after independence was won in June 1960. Ludo De Witte reveals the appalling mass of lies that have surrounded the murder. Making use of official sources and personal testimony. He uncovers a network of complicity spreading from the Belgian government to the United Nations and the CIA. This book, already translated into four languages, prompted the Belgian parliament to establish an official commission of inquiry into Lumumba's assassination. In his afterword to this new edition De Witte discusses its findings.

Synopsis

Patrice Lumumba, first prime minister of the Republic of Congo and a pioneer of African unity, was assassinated on 17 January 1961. His crime had been to defy the Belgian government which sought to maintain a covert imperialist hand over the country even after independence was won in June 1960. Ludo De Witte reveals the appalling mass of lies that have surrounded the murder. Making use of official sources and personal testimony. He uncovers a network of complicity spreading from the Belgian government to the United Nations and the CIA. This book, already translated into four languages, prompted the Belgian parliament to establish an official commission of inquiry into Lumumba's assassination. In his afterword to this new edition De Witte discusses its findings.

$33.88

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More Information

Format: Illustrated
Pages: 256
Edition: 2
Publisher: Verso Books
Published: 17 Dec 2002
ISBN 10: 1859844103
ISBN 13: 9781859844106

Media Reviews

One Belgian author has triumphed over decades of official obfuscation: Belgium did collude in Patrice Lumumba's assassination ... It raises questions about Western policy in Africa that will reverberate for decades to come. - Michela Wrong, Financial Times De Witte's book, politically passionate as it is, is an unignorable effort to bring the West face to face with its culpability in this entire sad and sanguinary tale. - Richard Bernstein, New York Times De Witte writes without stylish frills or narrative tricks, but this is a vivid and utterly compelling account of a nation strangled at birth by the West. - Ronan Bennett, Los Angeles Times One should never underestimate the ruthlessness of British gentlemen cradling endangered shares. - Neal Ascherson, London Review of Books Whilst the battle for control over the resources of the Congo (now DR Congo) continues today this important book restores Congolese history and saves it from the official version peddled by those directly implicated in the affair. - New Internationalist Thoroughly researched, passionately written, deeply disturbing. - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) De Witte has assembled a staggering amount of detail to support his allegations of direct government participation in Lumumba's murder. - Washington Post Book World De Witte has performed an important service in establishing the facts of Lumumba's last days and Belgium's responsibility for what happened. - New York Review of Books

Author Bio

Ludo De Witte is a sociologist and author of the Dutch book Crisis in Kongo and has researched two broadcast television documentaries on Patrice Lumumba.