Belgian prosecutors are preparing to charge Etienne Davignon (92), a former diplomat accused of being involved in the murder of Congolese revolutionary, Patrice Lumumba.
- Belgian prosecutors are investigating Etienne Davignon’s involvement in Patrice Lumumba’s murder.
- Accusations center on unlawful detention and degrading treatment of Lumumba prior to his execution.
- Davignon was a trainee diplomat at the time and is the sole survivor among the suspects.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the accused was involved in the “unlawful detention and transfer” of the former Congolese head of state, who was wrongly imprisoned and subjected to “humiliating and degrading treatment”.
AFP news agency disclosed that Davignon is the only survivor of ten Belgians who are suspected of being engaged in Lumumba’s assassination.
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He held the position of vice-chairman of the European Commission throughout the 1980s and was a trainee diplomat at the time of the killing.
As reported by the BBC, in 2011, Lumumba’s children filed a complaint in Belgium to seek justice for their father’s murder at the age of 35.
A hearing is scheduled for January 2026 to determine if he should go to trial.
The news was welcomed by Juliana, Lumumba’s daughter, who told Belgian network RTBF: “We’re moving in the right direction. What we’re seeking is, first and foremost, the truth.”
Life of Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Lumumba, born in 1925 in the Belgian Congo, was a fierce anti-colonial leader and the first Prime Minister of an independent Congo.
A powerful orator and visionary, he led the Congolese National Movement and played a central role in securing the country’s independence from Belgium on June 30, 1960.
His passionate Independence Day speech, in which he denounced the cruelty of Belgian colonialism, shocked Western leaders and marked him as a threat to foreign interests.
Within months of independence, Congo descended into crisis.
The mineral-rich Katanga province, backed by Belgian interests, declared secession.
As Lumumba sought Soviet assistance to defend Congo’s unity, Western powers, including the U.S. and Belgium, grew increasingly hostile.
He was soon overthrown in a coup led by Colonel Joseph Mobutu, who had Western backing.
Lumumba was arrested, humiliated, and eventually handed over to Katangan secessionists. On January 17, 1961, he was executed by firing squad alongside two allies.
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His body was dismembered and dissolved in acid to prevent a grave from becoming a rallying point.
Foreign complicity in his death is widely acknowledged today. Patrice Lumumba remains a martyr of African liberation, his life and brutal killing symbolize the deep struggles Africa faced in shaking off the chains of colonialism.
