Patrice Emery Lumumba, first Prime Minister of an independent Congo, is born

Patrice Lumumba 1960

Date: 2 Jul 1925
Updated: 2 Jul 2026

A member of the Tetela ethnic group, Patrice Emery Lumumba was born in the Katakokombe region of the Kasai Province of Belgian Congo. Lumuba became involved in politics as a young man and in 1958 he founded the Mouvement National Congolais (MNC). As President of MNC, Lumumba helped win Congo’s independence from Belgium in 1960. He was elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo, the first legally elected Prime Minister for the country. After only 12 weeks in power, the new government was deposed in a coup which led to Lumumba’s arrest. He was executed by a firing squad on 17 January 1961. It later emerged that Lumumba’s death had been orchestrated by Belgian and US forces who opposed his vision of a united Congo.

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01The Guardian Patrice Lumumba: the most important assassination of the 20th century [online] Available at: www.guardian.co.uk [Accessed on 25 June 2012]
02Britannica Patrice Lumumba [online] Available at: www.britannica.com[Accessed on 25 June 2012]

Last updated · 2 Jul 2026

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, June 27). Patrice Emery Lumumba, first Prime Minister of an independent Congo, is born. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0087149

South African History Online (2012) 'Patrice Emery Lumumba, first Prime Minister of an independent Congo, is born', South African History Online, 27 June. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0087149 (Accessed: 16 August 2026).

South African History Online, Patrice Emery Lumumba, first Prime Minister of an independent Congo, is born [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0087149, (accessed 16 August 2026).

"Patrice Emery Lumumba, first Prime Minister of an independent Congo, is born." South African History Online, 27 June 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0087149. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

South African History Online. "Patrice Emery Lumumba, first Prime Minister of an independent Congo, is born." South African History Online. June 27, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0087149.