share this video 1990  |  EN  |  Michel Noll  |  Patrice Lumumba was the first Prime Minister of the newly independent Afric an state, The Congo. To fellow Africans he was a hero - the man who had won his country's independence from the Belgians. But for the secret services of the western powers he was a threat. It was at the height of the Cold War, and Congo was vital to Western interests because of its vast mineral resources. CIA agent Larry Devlin received 100,000 dollars from the Agency along with telegraphed instructions to make the "elimination of Lumumba" the "priority goal" of his covert action. Within months of becoming Prime Minister, Lumumba was ousted by an army coup, inspired by the West. In early December, 1960, Patrice Lumumba and two of his Ministers were killed by members of the Belgian Secret Service. None of the murderers - or the men behind them - has ever been indicted, but Lumumba's voice still echoes throughout Africa today