CONGOLESE .FREEDOM FIGHTERS
[The United Secretariat of the Fourth International issued the following statement September 22,]
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Belgian and U.S, imperialism have joined forces in imposing on the peoples of the Congo the brazenly neo-colonialist Tshombe regime, Tshombe headed the separatist government set up in Katanga in 1960 under the auspices of the Union Minidre trust. Directly involved in the murder of Patrice Lumumba, Tshombe has long person= ified the reactionary, tribal and pro-imperialist forces in the Congo that have condemned that unfortunate country to division among the international trusts and their native agents.
The imperialist masters of Africa feel that their rich holdings in the Congo are threatened by the efforts of the people to end colonial rule, to achieve freedom, and to break out of imperialist exploitation and misery. The foreign rulers are prepared to go to. . any lengths to maintain théir. grip. They imposed Tshombe on the ~ Congo under the thin guise of "national reconciliation," The ecyni-— cism of this slogan was shown by the fact that the army with which —. this "national reconciliation" was to be achieved was: put together out of the Katangese gendarmes who openly fought against. the unity: : of the country in 1960-62, out of former professional killers of the Frenoh OAS [Secret Army Organization] which was used.against the Algerian freedom fighters, out of murderers of Hitler's SS [Schutz staffel] Troops, and the worst white racialist mercenaries now being recruited in South Africa and Southern Rhodesia, To further bolster their puppet, the imperialists are moving more and more openly in providing miditary aid such as airplanes and weapons,
In face of the openly pro<imperialist and neo-colonialist character of the Tshombe regime, the popular uprising of the Jongo masses led by various Lumumbist forces represents a new upsurge of the Congolese revolution which came to an abrupt halt in 1961 with the temporary defeat of the Lumumbist forces. The Congolese masses are fighting for the unity and independence of their country, for ousting the stooges of imperialism, Their struggle at a certain stage will inevitably put in question the holdings of the imperialist trusts in the natural resources of the country.
While civil strife is involved, the predominant character of the struggle is a war of national liberation against the direct agents of imperialism, This war is highly progressive, It deserves full support by the toiling masses the world over, especially in the imperialist countries, The victory of the freedom fighters will touch off a new revolutionary wave throughout equatorial Africa. A defeat, on the other hand, would strengthen the barbarous colonialist regimes in Angola and Mozambique, the white racialist "apartheid" - rulers of Southern Rhodesia and South Africa with whom Tshombe is
eyed coe
collaborating more and more openly.
In: the Congo, it is the duty of working-class and Marxist militants to participate in the forefront of the struggle, serving . as the best soldiers in the fight for national liberation, They should offer the freedom fighters a program of nationalizing the holdings of the foreign trusts and establishing collective agriculture, Such measures could greatly contribute to lifting the Congo out of its present misery, During the very course of struggle, their efforts will lay the foundations for a mass Marxist party . based on the program of scientific socialism and dedicated to con-~ tinuing the Congolese revolution down the road to socialism,
The reactionary resolution adopted on the Congo question at the Addis Ababa meeting of the Organization of African States is to be utterly condemned, By recognizing the Tshombe government and refusing to support and to grant aid to the anticolonialist struggle of the Congo Committee of National Liberation, the majority of "independent" African governments assembled at Addis Ababa showed their fear at establishing a "preoédent" that would.favor other uprisings of the toiling masses against-"established" governments in Africa, Most of these governments are themselves obviously neocolonialist and fear similar popular upsurges., This is especially true of the Emperor of Ethiopia who was instrumental in striking the bargain with the murderer Tshombe. oo
Down with the puppet regime of ‘Tshombe, | a stooge of “imperialism} =. _
Workers of the. United States, nelgium and Britain: compel ..
your imperialist governments to stop giving aid to the Tshombe regime} ;
Long live the emancipating struggle ‘of the Congolese freedom fighters | ; .
Long live the African revolution|.
Imprimerie: 21. rue ataboukir, Paris & (imprimé par les” soins de ‘Lédig Directeur-Gérant: Pierre FRANK. - teur),