Pauline Opanga Lumumba, wife of Congolese Premier Patrice Lumumba, breaks down outside her home in the African quarter of Leopoldville, demanding her husband’s release.

She had just returned from UN headquarters in New York, where she pleaded for his safety. Tragically, he was killed and his body dissolved in acid by Katangan and Belgian forces; only a tooth remained, smuggled to Belgium as a souvenir.The boy on her lap is Ronald Okito Lumumba,

Patrice Lumumba’s youngest son. He died last week, on January 28, 2026, at 67 after a short illness.Though a trained architect, Ronald dedicated himself to preserving his father’s political and historical legacy as a central figure in Congolese independence.He travelled to Belgium several times, most recently to Brussels for court hearings, saying his efforts were driven by a “thirst for truth” rather than revenge.