Victor Richard Lundula or Lundula Okoko Ta Mongo was a Congolese politician and soldier who served as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Armée Nationale Congolaise. He was a civilian who had been a medical orderly in the

Force Publique The ''Force Publique'' (, "Public Force"; ) was the military of the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo from 1885 to 1960. It was established after Belgian Army officers travelled to the Free State to found an armed force in the colony on L ...

during the Burma campaign and was a tribal cousin of first Congolese Prime Minister

Patrice Lumumba Patrice Émery Lumumba ( ; born Isaïe Tasumbu Tawosa; 2 July 192517 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic o ...

. On 8 April 1953 he was promoted to second class senior nurse. Lundula was promoted in one leap from

sergeant-major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in th ...

to major general on the formation of the ANC. After the severe riots that followed (the beginning of the

Congo Crisis The Congo Crisis () was a period of Crisis, political upheaval and war, conflict between 1960 and 1965 in the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Republic of the Congo (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo). The crisis began almost ...

), Lundula sought to intervene in several incidents, personally rescued some Europeans from harm and averted trouble wherever possible. In September 1960, when President Kasavubu deposed Lumumba as prime minister, Lundula was jailed for two months. At the end of November 1960 he was released and escaped to Stanleyville in the Eastern Province, and became

Antoine Gizenga Antoine Gizenga (5 October 1925 – 24 February 2019) was a Congolese politician and statesman who served as the prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 30 December 2006 to 10 October 2008. He was the secretary-general of the ...

's military chief. In January 1962, Lundula imprisoned Gizenga in Stanleyville. He died in the early 1980s.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lundula, Victor Soldiers of the Force Publique Belgian military personnel of World War II Democratic Republic of the Congo military personnel 1980s deaths Year of birth missing People of the Congo Crisis Belgian Army soldiers Congo Free State people