Dag Hammarskjöld, The Congo & the Mystery of Ndola

By 1961, the Congo Crisis had become far more than a struggle over the future of a newly independent country. The Congo had become a battleground for competing political interests, Cold War rivalry, Belgian influence and the struggle over control of the mineral-rich province of Katanga. At the centre of the international response was Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary-General of the United Nations, increasingly caught between governments and powerful interests that wanted very different outcomes. And then came September 1961. Hammarskjöld returned to the Congo for what would become his final mission. He was attempting to meet Katanga's leader Moise Tshombe and find a political solution to the crisis. His aircraft crashed near Ndola. He was killed along with most of those travelling with him. More than six decades later, the question remains: what really happened that night? In this second episode of our two-part series, host Stephen Maika again speaks with Professor Henning Melber, a scholar of African history, decolonization and international relations, as well as Senior Advisor and Director Emeritus of the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation. Together, they explore: • The constitutional and political crisis surrounding Patrice Lumumba's removal from office. • How Katanga's secession, Belgian interests, mercenaries and Cold War politics turned the Congo into an international crisis. • The tragic story of Lumumba's escape from UN protection, his capture and his eventual transfer to Katanga. • Nikita Khrushchev's demand that Hammarskjöld resign and Hammarskjöld's remarkable refusal to surrender his position. • Why Hammarskjöld returned to the Congo in September 1961 for what would become his final mission. • His planned meeting with Moise Tshombe and the political bargain Hammarskjöld hoped might finally bring the crisis towards a settlement. • The events surrounding the crash of his aircraft near Ndola. • The pilot error explanation, eyewitness testimony and reports of another aircraft in the area. • The troubling circumstances surrounding the discovery of the wreckage and the investigations that followed. • • The renewed United Nations investigations and the findings of Judge Mohamed Chande Othman. • The account of the surviving passenger and the continuing debate over whether external interference brought down Hammarskjöld's aircraft. • Why, more than sixty years later, we may still never know exactly what happened at Ndola. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro: The Congo Crisis reaches a breaking point 03:10 Hammarskjöld, Lumumba and the crisis in Katanga 07:05 Killing of Patrice Lumumba 10:21 Hammarskjöld and the search for a workable UN mandate 13:10 Hammarskjöld vs Khrushchev 20:05 Hammarskjöld goes to Congo 25:16 Hammarskjöld's gamble: a meeting with Moise Tshombe 29:00 The crash at Ndola 36:00 The first UN investigation and the unanswered questions 48:00 Sweden slowly forgetting him 51:30 What if Hammarskjöld had reached Tshombe? 54:00 The values that defined Hammarskjöld RECOMMENDED READING • Markings by Dag Hammarskjöld • Hammarskjöld: A Life by Roger Lipsey • Who Killed Hammarskjöld? by Susan Williams • Dag Hammarskjöld, the United Nations and the Decolonization of Africa by Henning Melber • The United Nations and the Congo Crisis SUBSCRIBE If you enjoy thoughtful conversations about African history, leadership, decolonization and international affairs, subscribe to Right Place, Right Time for more in-depth interviews with historians, authors and experts. SUBSCRIBE TO RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1sdJSDZ... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ke/podcast... CONNECT Email: rightplaceproductions@gmail.com Instagram: @rightplacepod YouTube: Right Place Right Time Podcast X: @rightplacepod TikTok: Right Place Right Time Podcast MEDIA, ARCHIVE AND PHOTO CREDITS United Nations Archives British Pathé Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation YouTube archival footage United Nations photographs and archival material Item Title: Ethnic Cinematic Epic Hip-Hop Item URL: https://elements.envato.com/ethnic-ci... Item ID: 5B5GAWS Author Username: BeatroofStudio Licensee: Digital Resource Registered Project Name: rightplaceri315 License Date: December 27th, 2025 Item License Code: P6F57DKN4Z #DagHammarskjöld #CongoCrisis #UnitedNations #AfricanHistory #ColdWarHistory #PatriceLumumba #Decolonization