On this day 50 years ago, Patrice Lumumba, the prime minister of the Republic of the Congo, was murdered by a firing squad. Born in 1925, Lumumba worked as a postal clerk and travelling beer salesman before becoming one of the founders of the Mouvement National Congolais in 1958, subsequently becoming its president. In December 1959, the MNC won a majority in the local elections in the Congo, and in January 1960 a round-table conference in Brussels resolved that the Congo would become independent on 30th June 1960.
National elections were held in the Congo in May, and the MNC won a majority, with Lumumba becoming prime minister. The Belgian King Baudouin attended the independence ceremonies on 30th June and gave a speech which was regarded by many as overlooking the atrocities committed during the colonial era and the struggles which had led up to independence. Lumumba responded with a fiery speech pointing out what the King had overlooked, much to the dismay and embarrassment of Western observers.
Within a few days after independence, there was a general rebellion in the army, leading to widespread looting by soldiers. The province of Katanga declared independence, and Lumumba decided to seek Soviet aid because the United Nations refused to help suppress the rebellion in Katanga. In September, the president purported to dismiss Lumumba, while Lumumba purported to dismiss the president. Mobutu seized power in a military coup, with the support of the CIA. Four months later, he was assassinated by a firing squad under the command of Belgian officers.