Why did the Congo face chaos soon after independence in 1960?

The chaos that engulfed the Democratic Republic of the Congo immediately following its independence on June 30, 1960, was driven by a convergence of military, political, and international crises.

The instability was triggered on July 5, 1960, by a mutiny of the army, the Force Publique, which led to the intervention of Belgian paratroopers. This intervention, ostensibly to protect Belgian citizens, exacerbated tensions and provided a pretext for the mineral-rich province of Katanga to declare independence under Moise Tshombe on July 11, with support from Belgium.123

Simultaneously, the central government faced a paralyzing constitutional impasse. An uneasy power-sharing arrangement between President Joseph Kasavubu and Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba collapsed in September 1960 when both leaders attempted to dismiss one another, leaving the country with two competing claims to legal authority.123

The situation intensified as the Cold War influenced the conflict. When the United Nations peacekeeping force declined to use force to end the Katanga secession, Lumumba appealed to the Soviet Union for aid, alarming Western powers and deepening internal divisions. This period of fragmentation ultimately facilitated a military coup by Joseph Mobutu in September 1960.123