After less than three months in office, the Congolese revolutionary and first prime minister of today’s DR Congo, Patrice Lumumba, was deposed by a CIA-backed coup on this day in 1960, which led to his assassination the following year.

A longstanding ally of Belgian colonialism in the Congo, the US felt threatened by the newly independent country and Lumumba’s revolutionary policies. In a joint effort by the USA and Belgium, Lumumba was overthrown, marking the beginning of decades of rule by dictator Joseph Mobutu.

More than 60 years later, the consequences of Lumumba’s murder are still felt among the Congolese population. Multinational corporations continue to plunder the DR Congo’s wealth and resources, rendering the country one of the poorest worldwide.