ABSTRACT
Right after its independence, Congo was marred by conflicts and violence caused by competing political elites. This competition resulted in the independence of Katanga and Kasai, in the blockade of the government when President Kasavubu and Prime Minister Lumumba suspended each other, and in the murder of Prime Minister Lumumba on 17 January 1961. Mobutu assumed power through a military coup to end this political impasse. After having destroyed the country for 32 years, he was deposed by a rebel alliance in 1997. Violence continued even in the post-Mobutu era. Why?
