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King of the Yeke, Msiri (king) Munongo has left an indelible mark on the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). He was born in Katanga, a rich province with copper and cobalt mines that sustain the country. In the late 1950s, he and Moise Tshombe founded Conakat, a party of “authentic” Katangans that targeted “foreigners” laboring in the mines of upper Katanga.The MSIRI GODEFROID MUNONGO
The MSIRI GODEFROID MUNONGO by Daniel LAINÉ [link]
The workers (especially from the Luba-Kasai ethnic group) were thrown into camps or exterminated. Munongo had the reputation of being violent, hot tempered, and authoritarian. Not surprisingly, he was known as the Terror of Katanga. He also was the Minister of the Interior and the head of State Security in the province. The driving force behind secession, Munongo was the enemy of Patrice Lumumba, a progressive hero who attempted to unite the Congo against the Belgians and counter the secessionist movements in Kasai and Katanga. On January 17, 1961, Joseph Mobutu (later called Mobutu Sese Seko) captured Lumumba, who was gravely ill, and delivered him and two of his companions to Katanga. Munongo and his police force were waiting for him at the Elizabethville (Lumumbashi) airport. He was never seen alive again. To this day, Munongo has been tight-mouthed about the facts surrounding Lumumba’s death. And yet, Munongo’s legend does not entirely do him justice. He can be brilliant, friendly, and cordial. His grandfather made a fortune trafficking in copper and ivory. His caravans at the time traveled all the way to Zanzibar. In 1850, bolstered by his notoriety and his rifles, the future Msiri conquered the kingdoms of Upper Katanga. The former trafficker had himself proclaimed king of the Yeke. For about forty years, the Msiri consolidated his kingdom in the face of constant revolt. At the end of the century, with a stroke of a pen, the kingdom became the private property of Leopold II, the king of Belgium. In fact, Leopold made a gift to himself of the Congo Free State. The Msiri put up a desperate resistance. Finally, he was tracked down and slain by Captain Dobson (in the employ of King Leopold), but not before dealing his assailant a fatal blow.

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