Pierre Mulele

Pierre Mulele
Pierre Mulele in a campaign poster, c. 1960
Personal details
Born	11 August 1929 Malungu,Belgian Congo
Died	3 or 9 October 1968 (age 39) Kinshasa,Congo-Léopoldville
Cause of death	Tortureordered by Mobutu
Nationality	Congolese
Spouse	Léonie Abo
Children	Eulalie, Ghislaine
Occupation	Guerrilla fighter
Military service
Battles/wars	Congo Crisis Simba rebellion

Pierre Mulele(11 August 1929 – 3 or 9 October 1968) was aCongoleserebel active in theSimba rebellionof 1964. Mulele had also been minister of education inPatrice Lumumba'scabinet.With the assassination of Lumumba in January 1961 and the arrest of his recognised deputyAntoine Gizengaone year later, Mulele became one of the top Lumumbists determined to continue the struggle. He went toCairoas the representative of the Lumumbists' Congo National Liberation Committee based inBrazzaville.From Cairo he proceeded toChinain 1963 to receive military training, and also took a group of Congolese youths with him, who received training inguerrilla tactics.Mulele was lured out of exile afterMobutu Sese Sekopromised him amnesty, but Mobutu had him tortured and executed after Mulele returned to the Congo. He was a member of theBapendeethnic group.

Career

Mulele (third from the right) with theLumumba government,1960

Simba rebellion

In January 1964, a new conflict broke out as Congolese rebels calling themselves "Simba" (Swahilifor "lion" ) rebelled against the government. They were led by Mulele, Gaston Soumialot andChristophe Gbenye,former members ofAntoine Gizenga'sParti Solidaire Africain(PSA).

During theSimba rebellion,Mulele, who had previously undergone training in theEastern Blocas well as China, led aMaoistfaction in theKwilu Province.This came to be known as theKwilu rebellion.Mulele was an avowed Maoist, and for this reason his insurgency was supported by communist China. By the end of April 1964, Mulele's rebellion had been rendered somewhat less dangerous by the government. TheSoviet Union,with an embassy in the national capital of Leopoldville, did not support Mulele's Kwilu revolt and had no part in its preparation: lack of support from the Soviets was in the first place responsible for Mulele turning to China as his patron.

Nonetheless, by August the Simba insurgents had capturedStanleyvilleand set up a rebel government there. However, the Congolese central government requested foreign intervention, and the troops fighting under the command of Soumialot and Gbenye were routed in November 1964, after intense drives by central government troops officered by foreignmercenaries.The landing of Belgian paratroopers in Stanleyville also proved instrumental in the rebels' defeat, as did key military assistance from the United States. On 24 November 1964, fiveUnited States Air ForceC-130transports dropped 350 Belgian paratroopers of theParacommando Regimentonto the airfield at Stanleyville to rescue 2,000 European civilians being held hostage by the Simbas.This move made the United States very unpopular in Africa at the time.After the rebellion's defeat, Mulele fled into exile inCongo-Brazzaville.

In 1968, then-PresidentJoseph-Désiré Mobutu (laterMobutu Sese Seko) lured Mulele out of exile by promising him amnesty. Mulele returned toCongo-Kinshasa,believing he would be granted amnesty. Instead, he was publicly tortured and executed: his eyes were pulled from their sockets, his genitals were ripped off, and his limbs were amputated one by one, all while he was alive. What was left was dumped in theCongo River.

Ideology and Maoism

When the Kwilu rebellion broke out in 1964, the revolt was led by Mulele in a way reminiscent of the Chinese communist revolutionary codes. Mulele required his fighters to adhere to a very strict moral code, emphasising self-discipline and respect for civilians. The tribal peasant fighters proved difficult to control and many disregarded Mulele's orders. The eight instructions on conduct Mulele issued to his guerrilla fighters showed the great influence Maoist writings regarding "people's war" had on the Kwilu insurgency. Mulele's code of conduct was as follows:

1. Respect all men, even bad ones.
2. Buy the goods of villagers in all honesty and without stealing.
3. Return borrowed things in good time and without trouble.
4. Pay for things which you have broken and in good spirit.
5. Do not harm or hurt others.
6. Do not destroy or trample on other people's land.
7. Respect women and do not amuse yourselves with them as you would like to.
8. Do not make your prisoners of war suffer.

The attempt to adapt Maoist Chinese practice to African conditions also extended to Mulele's use of the peasants as the mainstay of his revolution.

Personal life

Mulele was born inIsulu-Matende.He, alongside Antoine Gizenga, received his early secondary education at a seminary in Kinzambi. He continued his education at the Ecole Moyenne de Leverville established by the Huileries du Congo Belge and coordinated under the Brothers of Charity for a further three years.

He marriedLéonie Abo,a fellow fighter who spent five years in the underground rebel movement alongside guerrillas loyal to Mulele. In 1968, after her husband's assassination, she fled to Congo-Brazzaville where she has since lived. Abo has made a great effort to preserve the memory of her late husband.The Belgian bookUne Femme du Congo(A Congolese Woman), byLudo Martens,tells Abo's life story.

References

• Martens, Ludo.Pierre Mulele ou la Seconde Vie de Patrice Lumumba.EPO. (unknown ISBN)
• Martens, Ludo.10 jaar revolutie in Kongo, 1958-1966: De strijd van Patrice Lumumba en Pierre Mulele.EPO.ISBN90-6445-854-5
• Weiss, Herbert (2019).Political Protest in the Congo: the Parti Solidaire Africain During the Independence Struggle.Princeton: Princeton University Press.ISBN9780691655505.