Word: congos
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Unlikely Strongman. The Congo's newest emergent leader is Joseph Désiré Mobutu, a 29-year-old lieutenant colonel whom even most Congolese had never heard of until he announced his military coup at midweek. "We are bringing a truce to politics until the end of the year," he declared. "During this revolutionary period, we will try to achieve a political agreement between the factions...
Constitutionally, the Congo was a worse shambles than ever. There were now three governments instead of two-Mobutu's, Lumumba's and moderate President Joseph Kasavubu's. But in the 3,000-man Léopoldville garrison of the Congolese army, Mobutu had at least temporarily enough firepower to make his orders stick. This was a detail that both Lumumba and Kasavubu had overlooked. Both had always been happy when they could line up enough loyal soldiers to form a personal honor guard...
Forlorn Forays. The week began with comic-opera flourishes. First, Lumumba rounded up two truckloads of soldiers and roared off to Radio Congo in the apparent belief that with a microphone in his hand he could conquer the world. But the United Nations had closed the station to inflammatory broadcasts, and Ghanaian soldiers guarded it with fixed bayonets. "If you try to use force," warned the lieutenant in charge, "I'll have to shoot." Then he turned to Lumumba's trusted aide, General Victor Lundula, and added: ''The first shot will be for you." General Lundula...
...hours later, General Lundula convinced the guards that he had orders to transfer Lumumba to another prison. Once beyond the gates, Lumumba located 40 friendly soldiers and rolled back downtown, with sirens screaming, shouting. "Today victory is mine. Death to the imperialists!" Once again he headed for Radio Congo. Once again his path was barred, this time by Ghana's proper, British-trained Lieut. Colonel Nathan Aferi. Roared Lumumba in impotent rage: "Let me pass, you black, imperialist bushman...
...meet anyway, his troops barred the doors and turned them away. There was even a good chance that Mobutu could get along with Kasavubu and with Katanga province's Moise Tshombe, an anti-Communist who last week said he had not even "dreamed" of seceding from the Congo until forced to by Lumumba's "dictatorship...