The Congo’s ‘Lost’ Generation

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31077, 4 June 1966, Page 17

The Congo’s ‘Lost’ Generation

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter— Copyright) LEOPOLDVILLE, June 3. The four men executed publicly in Leopoldville yesterday all belonged to the generation of Congolese politicians who fought to attain independence but a few years later have been swept from leadership.

The murdered first Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba, the deposed President Joseph Kasavubu, the exiled Prime Minister, Moise Tshombe, and countless other lesser-known men in their forties and fifties belong to this generation. The Congo is now ruled by men in their thirties—only a few years younger than their

predecessors—but a generation away in approach and method.

Three of the men who died yesterday were closely attached to one of the Congo’s “big three” at the time of in-

dependenc* six years ago. Evariste Kimba, aged 40, was a well-educated former journalist from North Katanga province. He followed Mr Tshombe into secession in 1960 and became the breakaway Government’s Foreign Minister.

Kimba, a Baluba tribesman, won a seat in the Chamber of Deputies in last year’s elections and was the surprise choice of Mr Kasavubu to replace Mr Tshombe as Congolese Prime Minister last October.

But Mr Kimba. with a loosely aligned anti-Tshombe party behind him, did not survive the necessary Parliamentary vote of confidence in November.

Renamed by Mr Kasavubu. he was forming another government when removed by General Mobutu’s November 25 coup. Mr Kimba was married with four children. Emmanuel Bamba, aged 46, was one of the original leaders of the Congolese Protestant sect, the Kibanguists. He spent 10 years in prison under the Belgians for his religious activity. In 1960 he was elected

Senator for the South-west Congo area from which he and Mr Kasavubu both came. He became Minister of Finance under Mr Cyrille Adoula in 1962 and kept the post until Mr Tshombe came to power in June, 1964. The tall, non-drinking, nonsmoking Mr Bamba had the reputation of being a relatively honest and competent minister. He split with the main Kibanguist movement recently and formed his own wing which claims about 100,000 members.

Senator Bamba was married and had six children, including a son scheduled to graduate from Liege University, in Belgium, later this month. Alexandre Mahamba, aged 45, was a member of Lumumba’s Mouvment National Congolais and served as Minister of Lands under Lumumba and two other Prime Ministers until he left the Government in 1962 to work as a lawyer. He did not stand in last year’s elections.

The small, slightly balding Mr Mahamba was a wealthy plantation owner in eastern North Kivu province before independence. He was marft

rled and had a number of children.

Jerome Anany, aged 47, was a member of the Rightwing, tribally-based Progressive National Party and was elected Senator from Central Kivu province in 1960. He was Defence Minister under Mr Adoula from July, 1962, until June, 1964. Mr Anany, a stocky man with the bearing of a tribal chief, was married with a number of children.