M 22
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''M 22'' (short for ''Mouvement 22 de fevrier'', 'February 22 Movement') was a political movement in
Congo-Brazzaville The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...
. It was active in 1972 and 73 before its guerrilla base was compromised and most of its cadre arrested including its leader
Ange Diawara Ange Diawara (1941 – April 1973) was a Republic of the Congo, Congolese politician and military figure.Rémy Bazenguissa-Ganga, ''Les voies du politique au Congo: essai de sociologie historique'' (1997), Karthala Editions, pages 145, 149, 19 ...
. In 1976 some M 22 members were reincorporated into public life and appointed in positions of power after a pardon by Congo leader, Ngouabi. M22 remained a force in the countries politics until the 1989 party congress when all M 22 presence was removed from the Central Committee.


History


Rebellion

M 22 emerged from the left-wing of the governing
Congolese Party of Labour The Congolese Party of Labour (, PCT) is the ruling party of the Republic of the Congo. Founded in 1969 by Marien Ngouabi, it was originally a pro-Soviet, Marxist–Leninist vanguard party which founded the People's Republic of the Congo. It to ...
(PCT). The movement was violently suppressed, and the purges against accused associates of the movement had a profound impact on Congolese politics. A majority of the political cadres of the country were purged in the anti-M 22 campaign. The movement was formed by followers of
Ange Diawara Ange Diawara (1941 – April 1973) was a Republic of the Congo, Congolese politician and military figure.Rémy Bazenguissa-Ganga, ''Les voies du politique au Congo: essai de sociologie historique'' (1997), Karthala Editions, pages 145, 149, 19 ...
, a leader of the left-wing faction of the
Congolese Party of Labour The Congolese Party of Labour (, PCT) is the ruling party of the Republic of the Congo. Founded in 1969 by Marien Ngouabi, it was originally a pro-Soviet, Marxist–Leninist vanguard party which founded the People's Republic of the Congo. It to ...
, who had led a failed coup attempt against the government of
Marien Ngouabi Marien Ngouabi (December 31, 1938 – March 18, 1977) was a Congolese politician and military officer who served as the fourth President of the People's Republic of the Congo from 1969 until his assassination in 1977. Biography Origins Marien ...
on February 22, 1972. The movement gathered a grouping of former youth militias of the
National Movement of the Revolution The National Movement of the Revolution (, abbreviated MNR) was a political party in the Republic of the Congo. MNR was founded at a congress held June 29 to July 6, 1964. MNR was instituted as the sole legal political party in the country on July ...
. Jean-Pascal-Quantin 1997, p. 178. After the uprising had been quashed, Diawara and his followers regrouped and formed a guerrilla base in the
Pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...
region. Diawara borrowed inspiration from
Che Guevara Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...
and the
Union of the Peoples of Cameroon The Union of the Peoples of Cameroon ( - UPC) is a political party in Cameroon. It was one of the main belligerents in the Cameroon War. Foundation The UPC was founded on 10 April 1948, at a meeting in the bar ''Chez Sierra'' in Bassa. Twelve ...
. The name 'M 22' was taken from the document ''Autocritique du M 22'' ('
Self-criticism Self-criticism involves how an individual evaluates oneself. Self-criticism in psychology is typically studied and discussed as a negative personality trait in which a person has a disrupted self-identity. The opposite of self-criticism would be ...
of M 22', authored by Diawara), which was circulated clandestinely in
Brazzaville Brazzaville () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo. Administratively, it is a Departments of the Republic of the Congo, department and a Communes of the Republic of the Congo, commune. Constituting t ...
. Parallel to the rural guerrilla movement a clandestine urban opposition network (consisting of student activists and militaries) developed, also under the direction of Diawara. In early 1973 the movement suffered a serious set-back as the guerrilla base was infiltrated. Diawara and other leaders fled to neighbouring
Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...
. On February 23, 1973, following fear that a second coup attempt would be made by Diawara on the first anniversary of the 1972 coup, a wave of arrests was made in Brazzaville against supposed conspirators of Diawara. Amongst the arrested were many prominent figures, politicians and leaders of mass organizations. For example,
Pascal Lissouba Pascal Lissouba (15 November 1931 – 24 August 2020) was a Congolese politician who was the first democratically elected President of the Republic of the Congo and served from 31 August 1992 until 25 October 1997. He was overthrown by his pred ...
(former Prime Minister) and Sylvain Bemba (at the time the Minister of Information) were among the jailed. Diawara and other M 22 leaders were arrested and executed. Their mutilated corpses were displayed at the national stadium. Bemba admitted complicity in the coup plot at his trial in April and, "because of his international standing", was given a suspended three-year sentence. Lissouba was acquitted of all charges at the trial and would later become the nation's president in 1992."Lissouba, Pascal (1931- )" in ''Historical Dictionary of Republic of the Congo'', p. 254


Post-pardon

In 1976, some M 22 dissidents were reincorporated into public life, benefitting from a pardon by Ngouabi after the March 24, 1974
general strike A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...
. At the time Camille Boungou was the leader of M 22. In the PCT Central Committee formed in 1979, there were five persons from M 22,
Camille Boungou Camille may refer to: Fictional entities * a Power Rangers Jungle Fury character * Camille Wallaby, a character in Alfred Hedgehog * a character from ''League of Legends'' video game voiced by Emily O'Brien Films *'' Camille (1912 film)'', a s ...
, Lt. Célestin Goma-Foutou (who had also been a member in the 1974 Central Committee), Benoît Moundéllé-Ngolo, Bernard Combo-Matsiona and Alphonse Fongui. During the latter half of the 1980s, the M 22 opposed the introduction of
Structural Adjustment Program A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...
mes. At the 1989 party congress, all M 22 presence was removed from the Central Committee. Later, the same year Bernard Combo-Matsiona was elected president of the National Assembly (the last M 22 member in high-ranking position).


Bibliography

;Notes ;References * - Total pages: 459 * - Total pages: 313 * - Total pages: 548 * - Total pages: 239 {{Refend Defunct political parties in the Republic of the Congo National liberation movements in Africa 1972 establishments in the Republic of the Congo Rebel groups in the Republic of the Congo