Joseph Desire Mobutu was born in 1930 and educated in the Congo and Brussels. In 1956 he joined the Nationalist Movement. In 1960 he led a coup against nationalist leader Patrice Lamumba, who was assassinated. Mobutu became the army chief of staff, and staged another coup in 1965, installing himself as prime minister in 1966. In 1967 Mobutu oversaw the creation of a presidential form of government ...