Alphonse Massamba-Debate

Alphonse Massamba-Debate is a Congolese politician (1921 - March 25th 1977) who was president of his country of 1963 to 1968.

Biography

Teacher of profession, member of the party created in 1956 by the abbot Fulbert Youlou, the Democratic Union of Defense of the African Interests (UDDIA), Massemba-Debate (bantou of origin lari and bakongo) leaves it when his creator, chair independent news Congo in 1960, drift little by little towards authoritarianism.

President of the National Assembly in 1961, Minister for the plan and the equipment in 1963, Massemba-Debate seizes the power during the fall of the president Youlou in August 1963, following a Marxist revolution. Its party, the National movement of the Revolution (MNR), is finally instituted sole party and the presidential elections of December 1963 have only one candidate, Massamba-Debate itself, which is elected and placed at the head of the new Congolese government. From Marxist inspiration (Pascal Lissouba, Prime Minister, is then close to this current), the new capacity does not escape the dissensions. The oppositions are muzzled but this revolutionary government, which tries to found a " socialism africain" , remains fragile, threatened of the interior and outside. Che Guevara comes to meet Massamba-Debate in January 1965.

For as much, under its presidency Congo knew a beginning of industrialization and the standard of living of the Congoleses improves. Three great production units with large labor are built: machine textile Kinsoundi, palm plantations of Etoumbi, factory of matches of Bétou, building sites naval of Yoro, etc Of the health centres are created (two with Brazzaville and with Point-Black) as well as school complexes (colleges and elementary schools).

Shown authoritarianism and occupying a station causing all covetousnesses and the jealousies, it is relieved by a military coup d'etat, in July 1968. Two soldiers then share temporarily the capacity, Marien Ngouabi and Alfred Raoul. With this occasion, Bakongo, ethnos group of the south of the country, lose the capacity which they were shown to have, wrongly, since 1958.

Congo enters then a phase of great instability (installation of the “scientific socialism”, introduction of the Popular republic of Congo in 1970, multiple coup attempts of State) whose culminating point will be the assassination of Ngouabi in March 1977.

Accused of complicity, Massamba-Debate then is condemned then carried out of night by the military committee directed by Denis Sassou-Nguesso, already present at the time of the first operations northerner and armed corresponding to the dismissal with the capacity of Massamba-Debate. Its body was never returned to its family. Its memory was partly rehabilitated by the National conference of February 1991 but its tomb shown forever by its assassins.

A sports complex bears today its name in Brazzaville.

Works

the best heritage , Harmattan, 2003, ISBN: 2738425526.

Sources

Universalis Encyclopedia, edition of 1977. Biographical notes.

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