Belgian Prosecutors Seek Trial for Ex-Diplomat over 1961 Lumumba Killing

Belgian prosecutors are seeking to put 92-year-old former diplomat Étienne Davignon on trial for his alleged role in the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lumumba was a staunch critic of Belgian colonial rule and was executed with support from Belgian mercenaries after being ousted in a coup just months after independence. Davignon, who was a trainee diplomat at the time and later served as vice-president of the European Commission in the 1980s, is accused of involvement in Lumumba's unlawful detention, transfer, and degrading treatment, though charges of intent to kill have been dropped. Lumumba's body was dissolved in acid, with only a tooth returned to his family by Belgian authorities in 2022, symbolizing Belgium’s ongoing reckoning with its colonial past. The case was initiated by Lumumba's children in a 2011 lawsuit, and a magistrate will decide whether the trial will proceed at a hearing scheduled for January 2026. Lumumba's daughter expressed hope that the legal process will reveal the truth about her father's murder.