Venezuela commemorates Lumumba's assassination and celebrates his anti-imperialist legacy

Published at: 22/01/2026 02:08 PM

The Ministry of Popular Power for Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, through the Office of the Deputy Minister for Africa -in charge of the diplomat Yuri Pimentel-, together with the Center for African, American and Caribbean Knowledge, commemorated this Thursday the 65th anniversary of the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, former Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and one of the figures most emblematic of African anti-colonialism.

“Today we are summoned by the living memory of a man whose voice they tried to silence 65 years ago, but whose fiery verb continues to resonate with implacable force in the struggles of the peoples of the South. Today we are summoned by the legacy of a giant born in the heart of the Congo, a bearer of profoundly revolutionary thought and action, committed to eternity to justice, dignity and self-determination of his people. Lumumba, it should be said - together with gigantic groups of great fighters and African heroes - represents a beacon in the universal history of the oppressed,” said Deputy Minister Pimentel, stressing that Patrice's son, Roland Lumumba, is a “great friend of the Bolivarian Revolution, a man of firm and unwavering principles”.

On January 17, 1961, Lumumba - who was the first to hold the position of prime minister in his country - was assassinated after being overthrown a year earlier in a coup led by military leader Joseph Mobutu, backed by Belgium and the CIA. Its execution not only stopped a sovereign project born at the polls, but it also remained engraved as one of the darkest chapters in contemporary African history.

“When the imperial system fails to subject peoples to an economic blockade, financial war, media manipulation and diplomatic blackmail, it then resorts, without masks, to direct military aggression and State terrorism; this is how they acted yesterday in the Congo, this is how they act today in Venezuela, so they will try to act tomorrow against any people who dare to say Enough!” , he pondered.

He specified that, like the murder of Lumumba, “many others in our South remain unpunished, awaiting justice and historic reparation. And the Congolese people, like many peoples of Africa, of our America, are continuing their battle for true and definitive independence.”

For the executive director of the Center, Reina Arratia, “imperial powers are always behind assassinations and maneuvers that seek to keep peoples subdued and in poverty”, so Lumumba's story is related to the current challenges faced by Venezuela, considering that although President Nicolás Maduro is still alive, he was a victim of kidnapping by the empire, as was Commander Hugo Chávez in 2002.

In this context, he called for the unity of the Venezuelan people to continue to resist adversity and maintain trust in national authorities. “This is a time to strengthen the union, to put aside the divisions and media campaigns that try to break us up. Unity is our greatest strength,” he said.

“Without dignity, there is no freedom; without justice, there is no dignity; and without independence, there are no free men or women. Together we will win!” , he ruled.

MPPRE