Democratic Republic of the Congo since 1997, was proclaimed 61 years ago, on June 30, 1960. The liberation For a considerable amount of time the Soviet Union consistently advocated this process at UN venues.
2 min read
Russian Foreign Ministry – МИД России
The independent Republic of the Congo, known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 1997, was proclaimed 61 years ago, on June 30, 1960. The liberation of this country launched the decolonisation of the African continent. For a considerable amount of time the Soviet Union consistently advocated this process at UN venues.
This part of the Congo River’s basin had been a Belgian colony since the late 19th century. Until 1908, it was seen as a private possession of Belgian King Leopold II and was later sold to the Belgian state. The Congolese national-liberation movement started picking up momentum in the 1920s and the 1930s. An anti-colonial revolt flared up in 1959, and the Belgian government was forced to grant independence to the colony.
“A pink June morning drew back the navy-blue curtains of the tropical night <…> and illuminated the city of Leopoldville. The last day of June and the last day of colonial rule also became the first day of the Republic of the Congo, a new independent state on the African continent…”
Nikolai Khokhlov, a correspondent working in the Congo for the Soviet newspaper Izvestia, wrote this warm description of the history-making day. Fifteen years later, he was put in prison for his truthful depiction of the country’s national-liberation struggle but was later released under international public pressure.
The Soviet people deeply sympathised with the Belgian colony’s struggle for independence, and June 30, 1960 also became a Soviet national holiday. On that day, Soviet newspapers published Nikita Khrushchev’s telegram congratulating Patrice Lumumba, the Prime Minister of the new African state. A Soviet delegation also attended festivities marking the liberation of the Congo.
The Soviet leader’s assurances of friendship, addressed to the people of the Congo, were not just mere words. After a political crisis engulfed the country shortly after its liberation, the Soviet Union immediately responded to the legitimate government’s request for military-technical assistance.
Patrice Lumumba was accused of pro-Soviet sympathies and was victimised by Western secret services in 1961. This tragic event deeply shocked the Soviet Union. One of the largest Soviet universities was named Patrice Lumumba University after the Congolese freedom fighter, and dozens of Russian cities also have streets honouring his memory.
More information: https://www.mid.ru/ru/maps/cd/?currentpage=main-country
#USSR #DRCongo #Russia #DRC #Africa #RussiaAfrica # PatriceLumumba #Decolonisation #YearOfAfrica # RUDN
