by Ogbeni Olawale Dawodu ~
A court in Brussels has cleared the way for former Belgian diplomat Etienne Davignon, 93, to stand trial over his alleged role in the 1961 killing of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Davignon is accused of involvement in Lumumba’s unlawful detention and transfer, as well as subjecting him to degrading treatment. At the time, he was a trainee diplomat; he later rose to become a vice-president of the European Commission.
He is the only surviving Belgian among 10 individuals named in a criminal complaint filed by Lumumba’s family in 2011.
Lumumba, a leading figure in Congo’s independence movement, was executed by firing squad in January 1961 alongside two associates. His body was later dissolved in acid.
Belgium has since acknowledged its role in the events and issued apologies to Lumumba’s family and the Congolese state.
Welcoming the court’s decision, Lumumba’s grandson, Mehdi Lumumba, said: “We are all relieved.” He added: “Belgium is finally confronting its history.”
The ruling remains open to appeal.
Lumumba became prime minister shortly after independence in June 1960 and emerged as a prominent anti-colonial voice. In a speech attended by King Baudouin, he condemned colonial rule as “humiliating slavery.”
He was removed from power in a coup in September 1960, captured weeks later, and killed in January 1961 with Belgian backing widely alleged.
A 1975 inquiry by the US Senate found that the CIA had plotted to assassinate him, though the plan was never carried out.
