King Leopold's Ghost By GantRoberson Jun 20, 1960 The Congo gains independence from Belgium Period: Jun 30, 1960 to Nov 25, 1965 Congo Crisis Jan 17, 1961 Prime Minister of the Congo, Patrice Lumumba, is assassinated Nov 25, 1965 Belgian and CIA backed coup leads to Joseph Mobutu gaining power Period: Nov 25, 1965 to May 17, 1997 Mobutu Regime Oct 27, 1971 The Congo renamed 'Zaire' Mar 8, 1977 Congolese rebels based in Angola invade southern Zaire, but are driven back with Western assistance Oct 24, 1996 First Congo War begins May 17, 1997 Joseph Mobutu flees the Congo, and the foreign invasion, led by Rwanda, places Laurent Kabila in power Period: May 17, 1997 to May 17, 2016 Kabila Regimes Aug 2, 1998 Second Congo War, or Great African War, begins Jan 16, 2001 Laurent Kabila is assassinated, and is replaced by his son Joseph Kabila Jul 18, 2003 Second Congo War ends May 17, 2016 Joseph Kabila remains in power. The Congo maintains one of the lowest standards of living and levels of democracy globally.