The Killing of Lumumba and the Rise of Mobutu

After his dismissal, Lumumba was placed under house arrest, escaped in November 1960, and was captured by Mobutu's soldiers. On 17 January 1961 he was flown to Katanga and killed the same day by Katangan forces, with Belgian officers present. His death caused protests around the world. Later investigations clarified responsibility. A Belgian parliamentary commission concluded in 2001 that Belgium bore 'moral responsibility', and the government apologized in 2002.

US Senate hearings in 1975 revealed that the CIA had plotted to kill Lumumba, though it was not found to have carried out the killing. After years of rebellion, including the Simba uprising of 1964, Mobutu seized power in a second coup in November 1965. He renamed the country Zaire in 1971 and ruled until 1997, receiving Western support as an anti-communist ally while his regime became notorious for corruption. The Congo's story shows how decolonization, Cold War rivalry and internal division interacted.