Ex-Belgian diplomat ordered to stand trial over murder of Congo’s Lumumba
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Etienne Davignon, a 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat, has been ordered to stand trial in Brussels for his alleged involvement in the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lumumba was ousted from power shortly after Congo gained independence from Belgium and was subsequently killed by a Belgian-backed rebel group. A 2002 parliamentary investigation found Belgium "morally responsible" for Lumumba's death. Davignon, a junior diplomat at the time, is accused of war crimes, including unlawful detention, denying Lumumba a fair trial, and subjecting him to degrading treatment, as well as involvement in the murders of Lumumba's political allies. This marks the first trial related to Lumumba's murder and the first time in 65 years a Belgian official will face court over the killing.
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