Confusion: Was Marien Ngouabi assasinated by the French, Soviets, Cubans or by Congolese?

The report written by Denis Sassou Nguesso against Joachim Yhombi-Opango was so bad that, Marien Ngouabi decided to discharge Joachim Yhombi-Opango from his post of Chief of Army and appointed him to head the Palm oil Corporation or in French Regie des Palmerais”. Anani Rabier Bindji continued: “in succeeding to distant Joachim Yhombi-Opango from Marien Ngouabi, Denis Sassou Nguesso had a free hand to do whatever he wanted to do around President Marien Ngouabi”.  And he added: “two days before the assassination of Marien Ngouabi, Denis Sassou Nguesso decided to send Bonaventure Chryst Engobo, who was a security attaché to Marien Ngouabi to Point Noire. The same Denis Sassou Nguesso decided also to send the Director of National security, who was Ibarra, on mission to Abidjan, Ivory Coast. And on the morning of the 18^th of March 1977, Denis Sassou Nguesso also ordered the change of guards at the home of Marien Ngouabi, this in preparation to achieve his nefarious act, which to assassinate Marien Ngouabi”.  Anani Rabier Bindji concluded: “Marien Ngouabi became vulnerable to the plans of Denis Sassou Nguesso, because the second had succeeded in removing through ruse and blackmail all those like Joachim Yhombi-Opango around Marien Ngouabi”.

I asked Anani Rabier Bindji again: “why did Denis Sassou Nguesso decide to assassinate Marien Ngouabi, when the latter was the one who made the former to become what he has become today?” He replied: “it was simply because Marien Ngouabi wanted to abandon his scientific socialism and also hand back power to Alphonse Massamba-Debat”.  “In other words, it was the Soviets and not the French who ordered the assassination of Marien Ngouabi?” I asked. He replied: “yes, it was the Soviets with the help of the Cubans.” This is another confusion thrown in the already confused story on the death of Marien Ngouabi. I have been told several versions. Some claimed that, Marien Ngouabi was killed by his tribe’s men because he wanted to relinquish power to southerners, especially to Alphonse Massamba-Debat, the man he overthrew in 1968. Other version claims that, Marien Ngouabi wanted to abandon communism, for free market economy, hence he was killed by the Soviets with the cooperation of the Cuban through Denis Sassou Nguesso. While others also claim that, it was the French who assassinated Marien Ngouabi because he never wanted the French to exploit Congolese oil.

However, there is only one constant, in the bewildering array of sources and versions or causes of the death of Marien Ngouabi. The connecting man or the one who is suspected to have executed the French, Soviet or tribal plot was and is still Denis Sassou Nguesso. Why is it that, no matter how confusing is the story on the assassination of Marien Ngouabi, only Denis Sassou Nguesso stand accused? The confusion stems from Anani Rabier Bindji himself and all others whom I have contacted or spoken with when I was trying to know the truth on the assassination of Marien Ngouabi. In his book, Anani Rabier Bindji writes that, it was because of a damaging report against Joachim Yhombi-Opango by Denis Sassou Nguesso, which forced Marien Ngouabi to distant himself from Joachim Yhombi-Opango. And because Joachim Yhombi-Opango who was acting as a shield to Marien Ngouabi had been taken away through the ruse of Denis Sassou Nguesso, Marien Ngouabi became vulnerable.