| Justin Kokolo-Longo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1913 |
| Died | 21 November 1960 |
| Place of birth | Mayombe, Belgian Congo |
| Place of death | Léopoldville, Republic of the Congo |
| Allegiance |
 Belgian Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Service/branch |
Force Publique Armée Nationale Congolaise |
| Years of service | 1936–1960 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands held | Camp Leopold II |
| Battles/wars | Congo Crisis |
Justin Kokolo-Longo (1913 – 21 November 1960) was a Congolese military officer who briefly served as deputy chief of staff of the Armée Nationale Congolaise.
Biography[]
Justin Kokolo was born into a Bakongo family in 1913 in Mayombe, Belgian Congo.[1][2] He voluntarily enlisted in the Force Publique in 1936, quickly reaching the ranks of corporal and sergeant.[2] He was one of four Congolese soldiers in the entire army to achieve the rank of adjutant before the independence of the Congo. On 8 July 1960 Kokolo, as the most senior of the adjutants, was appointed by the Congolese government to be commander of the Camp Leopold II garrison.[3] He soon thereafter achieved the rank of colonel and became deputy chief of staff of the Armée Nationale Congolaise.[4] On 11 July Kokolo was dispatched from Léopoldville to Élisabethville, Katanga to oversee the "Africanisation" of the garrison's officers. However, that evening the provincial government seceded from the Congo and Kokolo was immediately expelled from its territory upon his arrival. From there he flew to Luluabourg to report on the situation to the president and prime minister.[5]
On 21 November Kokolo attempted to force his way into the Ghanaian embassy in Léopoldville to carry out an extradition order against the chargé d'affaires. United Nations peacekeepers on guard resisted, and in the ensuing conflict Kokolo and three of his men were killed. Once news of his death broke, soldiers rioted throughout the city. Kokolo was accorded a grand funeral along with his men, which garnered in upwards of 100,000 mourners throughout the capital. Camp Leopold II was renamed in his honor.[4]
Citations[]
- ↑ Gilis 1964, p. 246.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mobutu 1970, p. 20.
- ↑ Kanza 1994, p. 192.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 O'Ballance 1999, p. 38.
- ↑ Hoskyns 1965, p. 99.
References[]
- O'Ballance, Edgar (1999). The Congo-Zaire Experience, 1960-98 (illustrated ed.). Springer. ISBN 9780230286481. https://books.google.com/books?id=vfCADAAAQBAJ&dq=.
- Gilis, Charles André (1964) (in French). Kasa-Vubu: au coeur du drame congolais. Brussels: Éditions Europe-Afrique; distributeur exclusif: Office international de librarie. https://books.google.com/books?id=MnQ_AAAAMAAJ&q=.
- Hoskyns, Catherine (1965). The Congo Since Independence: January 1960 – December 1961. London: Oxford University Press.
- Kanza, Thomas R. (1994). The Rise and Fall of Patrice Lumumba: Conflict in the Congo (expanded ed.). Rochester, Vermont: Schenkman Books, Inc.. ISBN 0-87073-901-8.
- Mobutu, Joseph-Désiré (1970) (in French). Recueil des discours et harangues prononcés par le président de la république: son Exellence le Lieutenant-Général Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, Août 1960-Août 1970 (2 ed.). Service d'Education et d'Information de l'Armée Nationale Congolaise. https://books.google.com/books?id=cfwMAQAAIAAJ&dq=.
The original article can be found at Justin Kokolo and the edit history here.