How did Mobutu get Lumumba assassinated?

Mobutu Sese Seko was a Congolese politician and military officer who served as the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from 1965 to 1997. During his reign, Mobutu was known for his authoritarian style of government, human rights abuses, and corruption. One of the most controversial actions of his regime was the role he played in the death of the Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba.

Patrice Lumumba was a prominent figure in the Congolese independence movement, serving as the first Prime Minister of the DRC after the country gained independence from Belgium in 1960. Lumumba was a charismatic leader who advocated for social justice and democratic principles. He was seen as a threat to the interests of both the Belgian and American governments, who feared that he would align the DRC with the Soviet Union. In September 1960, Lumumba was removed from power in a coup led by Colonel Joseph Mobutu, who was backed by the Belgian government. Lumumba was arrested and imprisoned, and he was later transferred to Katanga, a province in southern Congo, where he was placed under house arrest. In January 1961, Lumumba attempted to escape from his captors and return to the capital, Kinshasa, where he hoped to regain power. However, he was captured by soldiers loyal to Colonel Mobutu and flown to Elisabethville, the capital of Katanga, where he was handed over to a group of Katangan officials and Belgian officers. On January 17, 1961, Lumumba was taken to a remote area outside Elisabethville, where he was beaten, tortured, and ultimately shot by a firing squad. His body was dismembered and dissolved in acid in an attempt to hide the evidence of his murder. It is widely believed that Mobutu played a significant role in Lumumba's death. In 2001, a Belgian parliamentary inquiry confirmed that the Belgian government had played a role in Lumumba's assassination, and that Mobutu had given the order to kill him. However, Mobutu denied any involvement in Lumumba's death, and he continued to deny responsibility until his death in 1997. The death of Patrice Lumumba was a tragedy for the people of the Congo and for the African continent as a whole. Lumumba was a visionary leader who believed in democracy and social justice, and his death was a setback for the progress of African independence movements. The role played by Mobutu and other foreign governments in Lumumba's death highlights the dangers of political power struggles and the devastating consequences that can result from the pursuit of self-interest at the expense of human life.