from Dave Windsor
The New China News Agency of July 1lth gave a potted account of Moise Tshombe's career. In = of his sudden rise to power in the Congo readers may find the following @éxtracts of use:
Moise Tshombe, who donned his costume and appeared on the stage as new Prime Minister of the Congolese puppet Government in Legoldville on July 10th; is a notorious puppet of both old and neo-colonialism, His father was a wealthy merchant of the Lunda tribe in Katanga. He studied in an American missionary school when he was a child. Later, he inherited his father's business and married the daughter of the highest chieftain of his tribe, He became governor of upper Katanga and was made chairman of the Conakat Party, which mainly represents the Belgian colonial interests, soon after he had entered the political arena.
Tshombe received a large amount of money annually from the Katanga United Mining Company. In 1961 alone he was granted an allowance of 59 million U.S. dollars. The company is one of the world's biggest trusts and controls the main economic life-lines of the Congo. It is mainly in the hands of the Belgian and British monopolist capitalists. The American oil monopolist Rockefeller is also a big shareholder, On the eve of the Congo's independence in June, 1960, the Belgian colonialists instigated Tshombe to declare ‘independence! in Katanga so as to maintain their important position in the Congo. When the independent Congo was hardly 2 month old Tshombe proclaimed the founding of 'the Katanga Republic’ end appointed himself "president" to oppose the legally constituted Government headed by Patrice Lumumba, and undermine the country's unification.
To counter the Congolese patriotic forces led by Lumumba, the U.S. than made use of Tshombe and opened supported its seccessionist activities. eeeThe U.S. prevented the troops of the Lumumba Government from taking punitive action against the Tshombe group. At the beginning of 1961 the Tshombe group murdered Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba and some of his comrades-in-arms in accordance with the pre-arragned plot of the U.S. and Belgian imperialists and in collaboration with Kasavubu, Ileo and Mobutu, After subverting the lawfully constituted Government of Antoine Gizenga in August 1961 and propping up the Adoula puppet regime, the U.S. neo-colonialists began taking over the exploitation of the Congo from the Belgian, British and French interests. Tshombe was backed by the latter and thus became a thorn in the side of the U.S. From 1961 to 1963, there were three armed conflicts for the control of Katanga. Finally, the United Nations force defeated Tshombe's mercenaries, forcing him to flee, Tshombe went into exile in Western Hurope, spending a long time in Spain and making frequent visits to Paris, London and Irussels, Finally,the article states that it has been the successes of the people's armed struggle in the Congo which has forced the U.S. to bring back its former enemy,