Etienne Davignon

Etienne Davignon is a 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat. He is currently newsworthy due to a Brussels court ordering him to stand trial for his alleged involvement in the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba, Congo's first prime minister and a prominent anti-colonial figure. Davignon is accused of complicity in Lumumba's unlawful detention and transfer, leading to his death. He is the only living person among ten Belgians accused by Lumumba's family. The case is significant because it revisits Belgium's colonial past and its role in the events surrounding Lumumba's death, a pivotal moment in Congolese history. While Belgium confronts its past, the case also raises questions about postcolonial Africa's own reckoning with Lumumba's political vision.