Alphonse Massamba-Débat

Alphonse Massamba-Débat (February 11, 1921 – March 25, 1977) was a political figure of the Republic of the Congo who led the country from 1963 until 1968 in a one-party system.

Biography Early life He was born in the small village of Nkolo, Boko District, French Equatorial Africa, in 1921, By the age of 13, he was a teacher and went to teach in Chad from 1945 to 1948. By 1940, he had joined the anti-colonialist Chadian Progressive Party and served as the general secretary of the Association for the Development of Chad in 1945. In 1947, he moved back to Congo and was principal of a school in Mossendjo from 1948 to 1953, then in Mindouli from 1953 to 1956. He was also the headmaster of Bakongo Secular School in Brazzaville in 1957 and a campaign of nationalizations began. Internationally Massamba-Débat aligned his country with the USSR and Communist China and he allowed nominally communist guerrillas to base themselves on Congolese territory.

Under Massamba-Debat the Congo was ideologically aligned more with countries of a socialist nature, especially Cuba and China, while moving away from capitalist countries. Che Guevara went to meet Massamba-Débat in January 1965 and diplomatic relations were severed with the United States. Relations were strained with the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose political path was increasingly influenced by Mobutist ambitions. Consequently, the Tshombe government expelled the citizens of Congo-Brazzaville who lived in the former Belgian Congo.

On the economic and social level, Massamba-Débat led a healthy and rigorous management. Under his presidency, the Congo began to industrialize and the standard of living of the Congolese improved. Some large production units with large workforces were built: the textile factory of Kinsoundi, the palm groves of Etoumbi, the match factory of Bétou, the shipyards of Yoro, etc. Health centers were created as well as school groups (colleges and elementary school). The country's school enrollment rate became the highest in Black Africa. At the same time, Brazzaville became a center for left-wing exiles from all over Central Africa.

Massamba-Débat also attempted to form popular militia units in 1966 with the help of the Cuban army. For 10 days in June and July 1966, members of the military attempted to overthrow his government after he had attempted to place the military under a single command. In the failed coup attempt, several hundred Cuban troops sheltered members of Massamba-Débat's government and he was eventually able to return to power after giving in to some of the coup leaders demands.