On September 5, 1960, President Kasa-Vubu announced the dismissal of his prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, due his controversial handlings of the Congo's regional conflicts, such as the massacres in South Kasai which led to severe human rights violations and widespread violence.

[2] Amidst the power struggle between Kasa-Vubu and Lumumba, General Mobutu staged a bloodless coup d'état on September 14, 1960, claiming that his intervention was necessary to prevent the country from descending into chaos.

Framing his intervention as a "peaceful revolution" rather than a traditional coup, Mobutu avoided presenting himself as a dictator and insisted his primary role was to restore order.

[1] In December 1960, Lumumba was captured while attempting to escape house arrest and subsequently transferred to Katanga, then a secessionist province led by Moïse Tshombe, where he was held.

A month later on January 17, 1961, Lumumba was executed by a firing squad composed of Katangan soldiers, his body being dismembered and dissolved in sulphuric acid to destroy evidence of the murder.

[6] The coalition government faced a vote of no confidence on November 14 and failed to gain the approval of the majority of lawmakers, losing 72 to 76 in the Chamber of Deputies and 49 to 58 in the Senate.

Announced via radio, the coup attempt progressed smoothly with little resistance met from either Kasa-Vubu or Tshombe supporters as Mobutu took control of the government.

While former prime minister Tshombe was pleased with Kasavubu's removal, he was less enthusiastic about the return of Mobutu to the presidency, which canceled the upcoming presidential elections in March.

[9] By 1966, Mobutu had abolished the post of prime minister,[10] and in June 1967, following popular referendum, he dissolved the bicameral legislature—comprising the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate—and replaced it with a unicameral Legislative Council.