You know how Congo got into such an awful state don't you?The...

You know how Congo got into such an awful state don't you?

The CIA assassinated its articulate leader Patrice Lumumba in 1965. He was seen as another Castro in the making.

America replaced him with Mobuto Sese Seko, who quickly declared himself dictator, brutally suppressed all opposition and made sweetheart deals with multinationals that saw his countrymen get nothing. After 30 years of his US-supported dictatorial regime, Congo had only one tenth of the infrastructure when he first assumed power. His legacy is that one Congolese child in two dies before the age of five.

This is another case of an immensely rich African country being totally ransacked by Western interests.