Ex-Belgian diplomat ordered to stand trial over murder of Congo’s Lumumba

Etienne Davignon, 93, is the only one alive among 10 Belgians accused by the Congolese leader’s family of complicity.A 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat has been ordered by a Brussels court to stand trial over the assassination of Congo’s first prime minister and anti-colonial icon, Patrice Lumumba, in 1961.Lumumba, who became the prime minister of the country – now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo – upon its independence from Belgium on June 24, 1960, was ousted in September of the same year and later killed by a Belgian-backed secessionist rebel group just months later on January 16, 1961.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Europe cannot condemn colonialism à la cartelist 2 of 3Belgium’s Lumumba case raises a question Africa still avoidslist 3 of 3Gustavo Petro: Colombia’s former rebel fighter turned presidentend of listBut in 2002, a parliamentary investigation found that Belgium was “morally responsible” for Lumumba’s death.On Tuesday, Etienne Davignon, 93, a former European commissioner who was a junior diplomat at the time, stands trial over his death, marking the first trial related to the murder of Lumumba.He is also accused of being involved in the murder of Lumumba’s political allies, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito.According to prosecutors, Davignon, who is accused of war crimes, had participated in the unlawful detention or transfer of Lumumba and deprived him of his right to an impartial trial.Prosecutors added that Davignon had subjected Lumumba to “humiliating and degrading treatment”.Guards of honour members carry a coffin that contains the only known remains, a tooth of the murdered Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba, after he was returned to his family by the Belgian government at Airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo June 27, 2022 [Justin Makangara/Reuters]If the trial goes ahead, Davignon would be the first Belgian official to face the courts in 65 years since the prime minister was killed and his body was dissolved in acid.