Patrice Lumumba

Patrice Lumumba emerged from the Congolese nationalist movement as leader of the Mouvement National Congolais and became prime minister when the Congo gained independence from Belgium in June 1960. Within days the new state was hit by army mutiny, Belgian military intervention and the secession of Katanga, producing the international crisis in which Lumumba sought support from both Western and Soviet powers.

President Joseph Kasa-Vubu dismissed Lumumba in September 1960, and forces aligned with Joseph-Désiré Mobutu later placed him under arrest. He was transferred to Katanga and killed on 17 January 1961. Belgian participation in the circumstances surrounding his death has been formally acknowledged, and foreign intelligence interest in removing him remains a central part of the historical debate over the Congo Crisis.