Prior to independence, Congo was ruled by Belgium and suffered from low life expectancy and poor working conditions, sparking nationalism. In the 1950s, associations representing the Bakongo people called for independence from Belgian rule. Shortly after gaining independence in 1960, mutinies broke out and the mineral-rich regions of Katanga and South Kasai seceded from Congo. The United States backed Mobutu's seizure of power in 1965 as they grew wary of Patrice Lumumba accepting Soviet support.