KINSHASA, Congo — Authorities in Congolese police have detained six individuals following a break-in and act of vandalism earlier this week at the mausoleum dedicated to Patrice Lumumba, the country’s assassinated independence leader, located in Kinshasa, the capital.
During the incident that occurred on Monday, robbers reportedly damaged a case housing a gold-capped tooth, the last remaining relic of Lumumba after his assassination. Authorities have not yet clarified the tooth’s current status.
The police announced the arrests of the six suspects on Wednesday and indicated they are actively searching for two additional individuals involved in the incident.
Jacquemin Shabani, the Minister of the Interior, reassured the public, stating that the tooth had not been harmed during the break-in. He remarked, “We assure that the relic is secure and it is protected,” although he declined to provide further details.
The return of Lumumba’s tooth from Belgium, the former colonial power, in 2022 was a moment of national celebration, as it traveled across the country allowing citizens to pay their tributes.
Jean-Jacques Lumumba, a grandson of Patrice Lumumba, expressed his relief regarding the arrests, stating, “We are happy that the perpetrators of this act have been arrested.” However, he lamented the neglect of the mausoleum by government officials, adding, “What is certain is that the relic is in a very secure place that we cannot name at this time.”
Patrice Lumumba is revered as a key figure in the fight against colonial rule, becoming Congo’s first prime minister. Despite his promising leadership, he was assassinated just a year into his tenure in 1961. His remains were gruesomely treated in an attempt to prevent a burial site from becoming a place of pilgrimage.
For many Congolese citizens, Lumumba represents the potential for a better future after independence, a future that was derailed by decades of dictatorships that exploited the country’s abundant resources.
A military coup ultimately ousted Lumumba, leading to his arrest, imprisonment, and eventual execution. His assassination, attributed to local separatists, played a critical role in facilitating the rise of Mobutu Sese Seko, who governed what he renamed Zaire for many years, backed by Western powers until his demise in 1997.
Although Congolese nationals were responsible for Lumumba’s death, suspicions linger over Belgium and the United States’ involvement, particularly due to Lumumba’s perceived Communist affiliations.
His notable tooth was in the possession of a Belgian police commissioner involved in the dissolution of his body. In 2016, it was recovered by Belgian authorities from the commissioner’s daughter.
Belgium’s King Philippe returned the tooth to Congo following a visit where he expressed remorse for his nation’s historical wrongdoings in the country during the colonial period.