Last week the Democratic Republic of Congo celebrated 50 years of independence. There is less to celebrate about the past 50 years of history in the DRC than there is in most other countries. The République du Congo achieved independence on 30th June 1960, and almost immediately the provinces of Katanga and South Kasai began fighting to secede. In September 1960 the president Joseph Kasavubu attempted to dismiss the prime minister Patrice Lumumba, and a power struggle ensued.
Lumumba was kidnapped and murdered in 1961, and in 1965 the army, under the command of Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, overthrew the president. Mobutu became head of state, renaming the country Zaire in 1971 and in 1972 renaming himself Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (“The all-powerful warrior who, because of his endurance and inflexible will to win, goes from conquest to conquest, leaving fire in his wake.”)
In 1997 Rwandan-backed rebel forces overthrew Mobutu in the First Congo War and installed Laurent-Désiré Kabila as president. However, a new rebel movement arose, leading to the Second Congo War. Many African countries were involved on one side or the other, and around 5 million people were killed in the two wars. The DRC remains a highly insecure country with very high levels of extreme poverty.