Antoine Gizenga

Antoine Gizenga (5 October 1925 – 24 February 2019) be a Congolese politician den statesman wey serve as de prime minister of de Democratic Republic of the Congo from 30 December 2006 to 10 October 2008. He be de secretary-general of de Unified Lumumbist Party (PALU).

 Early life 

Dem born Antoine Gizenga on 5 October 1925 insyd de small village of Mbanze insyd present day Kwilu province insyd what was then de Belgian Congo. He attend a Catholic missionary primary school wey na he receive ein secondary education at de Kinzambi den Mayidi seminaries. He cam be an ordained Catholic priest insyd 1947 den lead a parish out of ein home insyd Kwilu. He leave ein position for personal reasons wey he take several clerical den accounting jobs. After briefly serving insyd law enforcement for de colonial government, Gizenga become a teacher at a secondary Catholic school. He soon thereafter marry Anne Mbuba, plus whom he later get four kiddies.

 Early political career 
Inspired by de nationalist den Pan-Africanist ideas of Patrice Lumumba, de co-founder of de Mouvement National Congolais, Gizenga help to organize de Parti Solidaire Africain (which was openly left leaning). He later become de leader of de party. Following independence den free elections insyd 1960, Gizenga become Lumumba ein deputy prime minister of de new Republic of the Congo.

Insyd September, President Joseph Kasa-Vubu dismiss Lumumba den Gizenga from ein positions for de former ein decision to involve de Soviet Union insyd de Congo Crisis. Lumumba dey protest, den de government go into a deadlock over de issue. A coup launch shortly thereafter by Colonel Joseph Mobutu politicall incapacitate both Lumumba den de President, though Mobutu soon developed a working relationship plus de latter. Na Gizenga object to de new government den leaf for Stanleyville on 13 November to form ein own. On 12 December, he declare ein government, de Free Republic of de Congo, to be de legitimate ruling authority insyd de Congo. Lumumba dey attempt to join him, but be arrested den eventually executed insyd de State of Katanga insyd January 1961. Gizenga ein government dey persist for half de year dey garnered diplomatic recognition from de Soviet Union, China, den Egypt, though e receive no logistical support.

Insyd August, Gizenga agree to rejoin de regular Congolese government as deputy prime minister, now under de leadership of Cyrille Adoula. Aside from ein reinstatement ceremony, he choose to stay out of Léopoldville den remain insyd Stanleyville. Gizenga soon realized dat Adoula plus under de influence of Western governments den willing to negotiate plus rebel leader Moise Tshombe. He denounce Adoula den declare dat de government be committing treason.

Insyd January 1962 de Congolese Assembly demand dat Gizenga return to Léopoldville to hear charges levy against him for leading a rebel government. He reply dat he will only come back when de Katangan secession be resolved. Gizenga then attempted to arrest Armée Nationale Congolaise Commander-in-Chief Victor Lundula den a UN official, both of whom be insyd Stanleyville to investigate de Kindu atrocity. De plan backfired when Gizenga ein wey militiamen refused to obey his orders. Clashes between his regular supporters and Congolese soldiers ensued, wey result insyd several deaths. United Nations Secretary General U Thant ordered peacekeeping troops to restore order insyd Stanleyville, while Adoula had Gizenga placed under house arrest by UN den Congolese troops. He be flown back to Léopoldville via UN aircraft den detained at Camp Kokolo.O'Ballance 1999, pp. 64-65

Gizenga turn down an offer of UN protection den be eventually imprison on de island Bula Mbemba which lie insyd de mouth of de Congo River. Insyd July 1964 Tshombe become prime minister den, as part of an attempted political reconciliation, ordered Gizenga ein release. Insyd spite of dis, Gizenga quickly organised a Lumumbist party den denounced Tshombe ein handling of de Simba rebellion. As a result, Gizenga be placed under house arrest insyd September. Mobutu seized power insyd a coup insyd November 1965, thereby freeing Gizenga. He fled to Congo-Brazzaville, though he soon settled insyd Moscow to pursue a doctorate insyd political science.

Over de next couple of years Gizenga travel to Egypt, Guinea, Mali, den Ghana to solicit support for de fractured den crumbling anti-Mobutu movement. Insyd 1973 he briefly joined Laurent-Désiré Kabila ein China-backed rebel group insyd eastern Zaire (as De Congo be then called), thereby losing Soviet support. He then moved to France, but be deported to Algeria. After briefly living insyd Angola, na he return to de Republic of the Congo before finally settling insyd Canada. Mobutu invited him to return to Zaire insyd 1977 to serve as a figurehead for opposition groups, but Gizenga declined.

 Later political career 
Mobutu begin democratizing Zaire insyd 1990, allowing Gizenga to return to de country. By 1993, he had consolidated Lumumbist organizations into de Parti Lumumbiste Unifié (PALU). De party had very few members, but Gizenga gained respect for ein history of opposing Mobutu. He dey support Laurent-Désiré Kabila ein seizure of power insyd 1997, which dey result insyd de country ein name being changed back to Democratic Republic of de Congo. De following year ein house be ransacked by police den several PALU demonstrators be shot, den he subsequently opposed Kabila ein leadership.

On 25 September 2008, Gizenga dey submit ein resignation as Prime Minister to Kabila. Later insyd de day he announce dis on television, saying dat he decided to resign due to ein advanced age. According to Gizenga, he feel unable to continue insyd office: "For every man, even if you be sane den alert, your body has limits which you have to recognise". He no dey receive a response from Kabila at dat point. Reacting to de news, de opposition Movement for de Liberation of Congo (MLC) said dat Gizenga ein "resignation constitutes an admission of failure den negligence from a government which, after nearly two years, leave de country insyd a general state of crisis". De MLC dispute Gizenga ein statement dat ein resignation be related to age den health. Kabila reportedly "officially acknowledged" Gizenga ein resignation insyd a letter sent to Gizenga on 28 September. De governing coalition, de Alliance for de Presidential Majority, remain insyd place after Gizenga ein resignation, den negotiations dey hold regarding de selection of a successor to Gizenga.Franz Wild, "Congo Coalition to Stay After Premier's Departure (Update1)", Bloomberg.com, 30 September 2008.

Ein successor, Adolphe Muzito, be appointed by Kabila on 10 October 2008; Muzito be sana a member of PALU den  den Minister of de Budget insyd Gizenga ein government. Gizenga promptly resume ein duties as Secretary-General of PALU on 13 October 2008, 13 months after delegating them to Remy Mayele.

On 30 June 2009, e be announce dat Kabila had designated Gizenga as a National Hero, de DRC ein highest honor. Ein admission to de Order of de National Heroes Kabila-Lumumba make am ein only living member den entitled him to a "monthly payment equivalent to de earnings of a prime minister, a residence, a garage plus six vehicles, a guard wey include 12 members of de national police". 

Gizenga die at de Centre Médical de Kinshasa on 24 February 2019, aged 93.

 References 

 External links 

Category:1925 births
Category:2019 deaths
Category:People wey komot Kwilu Province
Category:Unified Lumumbist Party politicians
Category:Human
Category:Democratic Republic of the Congo people
Category:Candidates for President of de Democratic Republic of the Congo
Category:Presidents of de Democratic Republic of the Congo
Category:Prime ministers of de Democratic Republic of the Congo
Category:Deputy prime ministers of de Democratic Republic of the Congo
Category:Democratic Republic of the Congo pan-Africanists
Category:Democratic Republic of the Congo rebels
Category:People of de Congo Crisis
Category:Democratic Republic of the Congo exiles
Category:Lumumba Government members
Category:21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo people