M 22 (short for Mouvement 22 de fevrier, 'February 22 Movement') was a political movement in Congo-Brazzaville. It was active in 1972 and 73 before its guerrilla base was compromised and most of its cadre arrested including its leader Ange Diawara. In 1976 some M 22 members were reincorporated into public life and appointed in positions of power after a pardon by Congo leader, Ngouabi. M22 remained a force in the countries politics until the 1989 party congress when all M 22 presence was removed from the Central Committee. History Rebellion M 22 emerged from the left-wing of the governing Congolese Party of Labour (PCT). The movement was violently suppressed, and the purges against accused associates of the movement had a profound impact on Congolese politics. A majority of the political cadres of the country were purged in the anti-M 22 campaign. The movement was formed by followers of Ange Diawara, a leader of the left-wing faction of the Congolese Party of Labour, who had led a failed coup attempt against the government of Marien Ngouabi on February 22, 1972. The movement gathered a grouping of former youth militias of the National Movement of the Revolution. After the uprising had been quashed, Diawara and his followers regrouped and formed a guerrilla base in the Pool region. Diawara borrowed inspiration from Che Guevara and the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon. The name 'M 22' was taken from the document Autocritique du M 22 ('Self-criticism of M 22', authored by Diawara), which was circulated clandestinely in Brazzaville. Parallel to the rural guerrilla movement a clandestine urban opposition network (consisting of student activists and militaries) developed, also under the direction of Diawara. In early 1973 the movement suffered a serious set-back as the guerrilla base was infiltrated. Diawara and other leaders fled to neighbouring Zaire. On February 23, 1973, following fear that a second coup attempt would be made by Diawara on the first anniversary of the 1972 coup, a wave of arrests was made in Brazzaville against supposed conspirators of Diawara. Amongst the arrested were many prominent figures, politicians and leaders of mass organizations. For example, Pascal Lissouba (former Prime Minister) and Sylvain Bemba (at the time the Minister of Information) were among the jailed. Diawara and other M 22 leaders were arrested and executed. Their mutilated corpses were displayed at the national stadium. Bemba admitted complicity in the coup plot