Targeting Lumumba: Stuart Reid on the CIA-backed Destabilization of the Congo

None Of The Above

Instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been making headlines in Western newspapers for months. Since the fall of Mobuto Sese Seko’s 30 year dictatorship in 1997, the cobalt rich Congo has dealt with civil war, insurgencies from bordering nations, and government corruption. But before Mobuto, there was another charismatic leader.

Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the independent Democratic Republic of the Congo, was ousted, imprisoned, and eventually assassinated thanks to CIA intervention. It would be the first time a US president greenlighted the assassination of a foreign head of state. In this episode of None Of The Above, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Mark Hannah sits down with executive editor of Foreign Affairs Stuart Reid to discuss his new book The Lumumba Plot and the legacy of wanton intervention.