Lumumba, Patrice (1925-1961), nationalist leader who served briefly as the first prime minister of the Republic of the Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1960. Lumumba helped bring independence to the colony of Belgian Congo but fell victim to the chaos independence created. He was assassinated in 1961. Lumumba was born in Onalua in the southern province of Kasai in the Belgian Congo. He received a missionary school education and was strongly influenced by the writings of German political philosopher and revolutionist Karl Marx and French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre. Lumumba worked for the Belgian colonial administration for 11 years, mainly as a postal clerk in the northeastern city of Stanleyville (now Kisangani). He wrote newspaper articles and organized local movements advocating Congolese independence from Belgium. Following a 1955 visit to Belgium, he was imprisoned for a year for embezzling money from the post office. Upon his release, Lumumba moved to the capital, L©opoldville (now Kinshasa), and worked as the sales manager of a brewery while continuing to campaign for independence. A dynamic speaker in several languages, he became president of the National Congolese Movement (MNC), a multiethnic political party. As MNC leader, he attended the 1958 All-African Peoples' Conference in Accra, Ghana. Inspired by Ghanaian leader and pioneer African nationalist Kwame Nkrumah, Lumumba was converted to the ideas of militant anticolonialism and Pan-Africanism, a belief in the unity of all African peoples.

The anticolonial movements in the Belgian Congo were largely split between nationalists led by Lumumba who favored strong central government and those led by Joseph Kasavubu, who pressed for federalism. After a series of bloody riots in 1959, Lumumba was arrested for inciting violence. Meanwhile, the Belgian plan for the gradual introduction of self-government to the colony collapsed under increased Congolese pressure for immediate independence. Lumumba was taken from prison and flown to Brussels, Belgium, where negotiations with Congolese activists led to the scheduling of unconditional independence for the almost totally unprepared colony.

The Republic of the Congo officially became independent on June 30, 1960, and Lumumba became prime minister, with Kasavubu as president. Within days the army mutinied against its Belgian officers and Belgium evacuated almost all Europeans from the Congo, leaving the country with virtually no technicians, professionals, or administrators. Simultaneously, the mineral-rich Katanga province in the southeast, led by Moise Tshombe, seceded with Belgian assistance. Violent chaos tore the country apart, and United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces were sent to the Congo. However, stability was not restored, and Lumumba appealed for further aid from Ghana and the Communist government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The latter appeal only served to undermine his international reputation. Western governments viewed him with distrust as a dangerous pro-Soviet radical, although he had never described himself as a Communist.

Kasavubu swiftly turned against Lumumba and dismissed him in early September 1960. However, Lumumba rejected the legality of the dismissal and lobbied the legislature to remove Kasavubu from office. The Congolese government was deadlocked. On September 14 both leaders were overthrown by army chief of staff Joseph D©sir© Mobutu (later Mobutu Sese Seko), who placed Lumumba under house arrest. Captured while trying to escape to his supporters in Stanleyville in January 1961, Lumumba was flown to Katanga, where Tshombe's forces murdered him on arrival. A fervent, though often imprudent, nationalist, Lumumba was declared a national hero and martyr in 1966, and he continues to serve as an inspiration for African nationalists and leftists. One of Lumumba's supporters, Laurent-D©sir© Kabila, overthrew Mobutu's government in May 1997.