Patrice Lumumba assassinated

1961MajorContested

Congo's first elected prime minister is deposed, handed to Katangan secessionists and shot in January 1961 with Belgian officers present. His death becomes a symbol of Cold War interference in African independence.

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Contested history

Consensus: Katangan authorities executed Lumumba on 17 January 1961 with Belgian officers present; a Belgian parliamentary inquiry found that Belgium bore moral responsibility.

Belgian officials shared responsibilityEstablished

A Belgian parliamentary commission found moral responsibility, and Belgium apologized in 2002 and again in 2022 when his remains were returned.

The CIA plotted to kill himEstablished

The Church Committee documented a 1960 CIA plan to poison him that was never carried out.

The CIA carried out the killingUnsupported

The Church Committee found the agency backed his rivals but was not involved in his actual death.