Pierre Mulele | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Pierre Mulele in a campaign poster, c. 1960 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 August 1929 |
| Died | 3 or 9 October 1968 (age 39) |
| Cause of death | Torture ordered by Mobutu |
| Nationality | Congolese |
| Spouse | Léonie Abo |
| Children | Eulalie, Ghislaine |
| Occupation | Guerrilla fighter |
| Military service | |
| Battles/wars | Congo Crisis Simba rebellion |
Pierre Mulele (11 August 1929 – 3 or 9 October 1968) was aCongolese rebel active in theKwilu rebellion of 1964. Mulele had also been minister of education inPatrice Lumumba'scabinet. With the assassination of Lumumba in January 1961 and the arrest of his recognised deputyAntoine Gizenga one year later, Mulele became one of the top Lumumbists determined to continue the struggle. He went toCairo as the representative of the Lumumbists' Congo National Liberation Committee based inBrazzaville. From Cairo he proceeded toChina in 1963 to receive military training, and also took a group of Congolese youths with him, who received training inguerrilla tactics.[1] Mulele was lured out of exile afterMobutu Sese Seko promised him amnesty. However, once Mulele returned to the Congo, Mobutu had him tortured and executed. He was a member of theBapende ethnic group.[2]
In January 1964, a new conflict broke out as Congolese rebels calling themselves "Simba" (Swahili for "lion") rebelled against the government. They were led by Mulele, Gaston Soumialot andChristophe Gbenye, former members ofAntoine Gizenga'sParti Solidaire Africain (PSA).
During theSimba rebellion, Mulele, who had previously undergone training in theEastern Bloc as well as China, led aMaoist[3] faction in theKwilu Province. This came to be known as theKwilu rebellion. Mulele was an avowed Maoist, and for this reason his insurgency was supported by communist China. By the end of April 1964, Mulele's rebellion had been rendered somewhat less dangerous by the government. TheSoviet Union, with an embassy in the national capital of Leopoldville, did not support Mulele's Kwilu revolt and had no part in its preparation: lack of support from the Soviets was in the first place responsible for Mulele turning to China as his patron.[4]
Nonetheless, by August the Simba insurgents had capturedStanleyville and set up a rebel government there. However, the Congolese central government requested foreign intervention, and the troops fighting under the command of Soumialot and Gbenye were routed in November 1964, after intense drives by central government troops officered by foreignmercenaries. The landing of Belgian paratroopers in Stanleyville also proved instrumental in the rebels' defeat, as did key military assistance from the United States. On 24 November 1964, fiveUnited States Air ForceC-130 transports dropped 350 Belgian paratroopers of theParacommando Regiment onto the airfield at Stanleyville to rescue 2,000 European civilians being held hostage by the Simbas.[5] This move made the United States very unpopular in Africa at the time.[6] After the rebellion's defeat, Mulele fled into exile inCongo-Brazzaville.
When the Kwilu rebellion broke out in 1964, the revolt was led by Mulele in a way reminiscent of the Chinese communist revolutionary codes. Mulele required his fighters to adhere to a very strict moral code, emphasising self-discipline and respect for civilians. The tribal peasant fighters proved difficult to control and many disregarded Mulele's orders. The eight instructions on conduct Mulele issued to his guerrilla fighters showed the great influence Maoist writings regarding "people's war" had on the Kwilu insurgency. Mulele's code of conduct was as follows:[7]
The attempt to adapt Maoist Chinese practice to African conditions also extended to Mulele's use of the peasants as the mainstay of his revolution.
In 1968, then-President Joseph-Désiré Mobutu (laterMobutu Sese Seko) lured Mulele out of exile by promising him amnesty. Mulele believed Mobutu's promise and returned toCongo-Kinshasa. There, Mobutu had him arrested and sentenced to death. Mulele was executed and allegedly tortured: his eyes were pulled from their sockets, his genitals were ripped off, and his limbs were amputated one by one, all while he was alive. What was left was dumped in theCongo River.[8][9][10]
Mulele was born inIsulu-Matende. He, alongside Antoine Gizenga, received his early secondary education at a seminary in Kinzambi. He continued his education at the Ecole Moyenne de Leverville established by the Huileries du Congo Belge and coordinated under the Brothers of Charity for a further three years.[11]
He marriedLéonie Abo, a fellow fighter who spent five years in the underground rebel movement alongside guerrillas loyal to Mulele. In 1968, after her husband's assassination, she fled to Congo-Brazzaville where she has since lived. Abo has made a great effort to preserve the memory of her late husband.[12] The Belgian bookUne Femme du Congo (A Congolese Woman), byLudo Martens, tells Abo's life story.
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