After the Congo received its freedom from Belgium in 1960, it experienced five years of political turmoil. In 1965 army chief of staff Joseph Désiré Mobutu seized power in a coup. For 32 years Mobutu ran a corrupt, undemocratic regime, concentrating power in the administrator branch and favoring those loyal to him. His party, the Popular Movement for the Revolution,became the sole legal political party, and dissidents were suppressed. In May 1997 rebels led by Laurent Kabila seized control of the nation and overthrew Mobutu. Kabila inactive the constitution and declared himself president. Kabila was assassinated in January 2001.