On the 17 January Lumumba was assassinated by firing squad, with the tacit backing of Belgium.

At the age of 35 he was shot by a firing squad in January 1961, with the tacit backing of Belgium.

Downplaying Trump’s incendiary threats of violence until just a few weeks before the election, provided both tacit and explicit sanction to xenophobic, racist and authoritarian impulses that have long simmered in the American undercurrent.

However, what violent extremists perceive as a tacit nod of approval — based on Trump’s own violent rhetoric — could lead to a surge in domestic terrorism in a country that remains anxious, angry and well-armed.

For the Beninese government, it’s a victory they can peddle to gain the people’s favor, while France can mine it as an image-boosting tactic that comes with tacit paternalism.