Godefroid Munongo
Encyclopedia
Godefroid Munongo Mwenda M'Siri (1925–1992) was a politician of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
. He was a minister and briefly the interim President in 1961. He was involved in ethnic cleansing and in the assassination of President Lumumba.
. He was a descendant of King Msiri of the Nyamwezi
who founded the State of Garenganze in the last half of the nineteenth century. In 1960 he was the second man in the CONAKAT
alongside Moïse Kapenda Tshombe
. Munongo was interim president of Katanga Province
from 26 April to 22 June 1961.
Munongo was Minister of Interior for the Congo in 1965 and he then led the eastern Katanga province until 24 April 1966 when the province merged with the neighbouring province of Lualaba. He was Governor of South Katanga until 5 November 1966.
He was involved in ethnic cleansing
of 1960 to 1962 in Katanga and tried to get Belgium to help him. Munongo was involved in the death of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba
in 1961. Before his death Munongo had been quoted in a newspaper as saying that if Lumumbo came to Katanga then he would do what the Belgians could not do and that was to kill him. Lumumba and two other ministers were beaten on a plane journey to Katanga. Near the airport at Luano in Lubumbashi they were all tortured and Lumumba was personally assaulted by Katangan leaders including Munongo and Belgian officers. After they were shot by a firing squad their bodies were dissolved in acid. In reports Munongo said, "I will speak frankly, If people accuse us of killing Lumumba, I will reply: 'Prove it.' "
Munongo was recognised by the council of notables as the fifth Msiri and he was enthroned on the 12 September 1976. The families web site records that Munongo was going to break his silence on the death of Lumumba, however on the day of the announcement he suffered a heart attack and died on 28 May 1992
Munongo's son is involved in politics too.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
. He was a minister and briefly the interim President in 1961. He was involved in ethnic cleansing and in the assassination of President Lumumba.
Biography
Munongo was born on the 20 November 1925 in Bunkeya, Haut-Katanga DistrictHaut-Katanga District
Haut-Katanga District is a district located in the Katanga Province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo....
. He was a descendant of King Msiri of the Nyamwezi
Nyamwezi
The Nyamwezi, or Wanyamwezi, are the second-largest of over 120 ethnic groups in Tanzania. They live in the northwest central area of the country, between Lake Victoria and Lake Rukwa...
who founded the State of Garenganze in the last half of the nineteenth century. In 1960 he was the second man in the CONAKAT
CONAKAT
CONAKAT was one of the three main political parties in the Belgian Congo and was led by the pro-Western regionalist Moïse Tsjombe and his interior minister Godefroid Munongo.-History:...
alongside Moïse Kapenda Tshombe
Moise Tshombe
Moïse Kapenda Tshombe was a Congolese politician.- Biography :He was the son of a successful Congolese businessman and was born in Musumba, Congo. He received his education from an American missionary school and later trained as an accountant...
. Munongo was interim president of Katanga Province
Katanga Province
Katanga Province is one of the provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Between 1971 and 1997, its official name was Shaba Province. Under the new constitution, the province was to be replaced by four smaller provinces by February 2009; this did not actually take place.Katanga's regional...
from 26 April to 22 June 1961.
Munongo was Minister of Interior for the Congo in 1965 and he then led the eastern Katanga province until 24 April 1966 when the province merged with the neighbouring province of Lualaba. He was Governor of South Katanga until 5 November 1966.
He was involved in ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic orreligious group from certain geographic areas....
of 1960 to 1962 in Katanga and tried to get Belgium to help him. Munongo was involved in the death of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Émery Lumumba was a Congolese independence leader and the first legally elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo after he helped win its independence from Belgium in June 1960. Only ten weeks later, Lumumba's government was deposed in a coup during the Congo Crisis...
in 1961. Before his death Munongo had been quoted in a newspaper as saying that if Lumumbo came to Katanga then he would do what the Belgians could not do and that was to kill him. Lumumba and two other ministers were beaten on a plane journey to Katanga. Near the airport at Luano in Lubumbashi they were all tortured and Lumumba was personally assaulted by Katangan leaders including Munongo and Belgian officers. After they were shot by a firing squad their bodies were dissolved in acid. In reports Munongo said, "I will speak frankly, If people accuse us of killing Lumumba, I will reply: 'Prove it.' "
Munongo was recognised by the council of notables as the fifth Msiri and he was enthroned on the 12 September 1976. The families web site records that Munongo was going to break his silence on the death of Lumumba, however on the day of the announcement he suffered a heart attack and died on 28 May 1992
Munongo's son is involved in politics too.