Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the newly independent Congo, was a hero to his fellow Africans but a communist threat to the West. The West believed Lumumba was pro-soviet and would open the door to communist control of this mineral rich region. Within months of becoming Prime Minister in 1960, Lumumba was ousted in a military coup, inspired by the West. It was led by a turncoat colonel, Desire Mobutu who would be Congo's military dictator for the next thirty years. 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.