Alphonse Songolo (1927 – 20 February 1961) was a Congolese politician who served as the

Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville) The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo) was a sovereign state in Central Africa, created with the independence of the Belgian Congo in 1960. From 1960 to 1966, the country was also known as Congo-Léopoldville (after its cap ...

's first Minister of Communications. He was a prominent member of the

Mouvement National Congolais The Congolese National Movement (french: Mouvement national Congolais, or MNC) is a political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. History Foundation The MNC was founded in 1958 as an African nationalist party within the Belgian Cong ...

in Stanleyville and a close partner of

Patrice Lumumba Patrice Émery Lumumba (; 2 July 1925 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic of the Congo) from June u ...

. However, in October 1960 he denounced Lumumba and was shortly thereafter imprisoned by pro-Lumumba authorities. He was executed in February 1961 in retaliation for the deaths of several pro-Lumumba politicians.

Biography

Alphonse Songolo was born in 1927 in the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

as a member of the Lokele ethnic group. He received his education at the Frères Maristes de Kisangani et de Buta, graduating in 1946. Afterwards he worked in the colonial administration, including service as secretary for the governor of

Orientale Province Orientale Province ( French: ''Province orientale'', "Eastern province") is one of the former provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its predecessors the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo. It went through a series of boundary ...

. In April 1953 Songolo became assistant secretary of the Stanleyville chapter of the Association du Personnel Indigene de la Colonie, a labour union. In 1959 he was elected as mayor of the commune of

Kabondo Kabondo is a settlement in Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , ...

in Boma. He also became president of the local chapter of the

(MNC), serving in the position into the following year. In December he was arrested for his political activities. In 1960 he was elected as a representative from

as a member of the MNC to serve in the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

of the newly independent

with 2,593 preferential votes.

, leader of the MNC and long-time associate of Songolo, became prime minister. He included Songolo in his government as Minister of Communications. The government was officially invested by Parliament on 24 June 1960. On 5 September, President

Joseph Kasa-Vubu Joseph Kasa-Vubu, alternatively Joseph Kasavubu, ( – 24 March 1969) was a Congolese politician who served as the first President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Republic of the Congo) from 1960 until 1965. A member of the Kong ...

dismissed Lumumba and appointed

Joseph Iléo Joseph Iléo (15 September 1921 – 19 September 1994), subsequently Zairianised as Sombo Amba Iléo, was a politician in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was prime minister for two periods. Early life Joseph Iléo was born on 15 ...

to replace him. Iléo chose to keep Songolo in his government. On 14 September Colonel

Joseph-Désiré Mobutu Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the List of heads of state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, presiden ...

launched a coup and established his own government. Songolo subsequently declared his support for the new authority. On 3 October Songolo, in spite of previously having a close working relationship with the deposed prime minister, led a group of MNC parliamentarians in denouncing Lumumba. At a press conference he derided both Lumumba and the MNC, saying that the party should be renamed the "Mouvement National Communiste". On 17 October Songolo and a number of like-minded deputies returned to Stanleyville and were immediately arrested by local authorities sympathetic to Lumumba. There were rumors that Songolo was poorly treated in custody, but a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

commission later found no visible evidence to substantiate the allegations. However, on the morning of 20 February 1961 Songolo and 14 other political prisoners were shot in Stanleyville after news broke that the central government had allowed for the execution of several pro-Lumumba politicians in

South Kasai South Kasai (french: Sud-Kasaï) was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognised Secession, secessionist state within the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Republic of the Congo (the modern-day Democratic Republi ...

References

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Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Songolo, Alphonse 1927 births 1961 deaths Mouvement National Congolais politicians Members of the National Assembly (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Government ministers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo People murdered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Assassinated Democratic Republic of the Congo politicians Deaths by firearm in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Executed Democratic Republic of the Congo people People of the Congo Crisis Lumumba Government members 1961 murders in Africa