Belgian court orders ex-diplomat, 93, to stand trial over Patrice Lumumba assassination

Lumumba became prime minister after Congo now the Democratic Republic of Congo, gained independence from Belgium in 1960, but he was ousted within months amid political turmoil. He was later killed on January 16, 1961, in Katanga by a Belgian-backed secessionist rebel group.

Belgium has long faced scrutiny over the killing. A 2002 parliamentary investigation concluded the Belgian state was “morally responsible” for Lumumba’s death.

Prosecutors say Davignon, who was a junior diplomat at the time and later became a European commissioner, is accused of war crimes linked to Lumumba’s unlawful detention or transfer, the denial of his right to an impartial trial, and what they described as “humiliating and degrading treatment.” He is also accused in connection with the deaths of Lumumba’s political allies Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito.

Davignon is the only living suspect among those accused of involvement in the killing. The case was brought by Lumumba’s family and later taken up by Belgian federal prosecutors.

After the ruling, Lumumba’s granddaughter Yema Lumumba said it was “a step in the right direction,” adding: “What we want is to search for truth and establish different responsibilities.” The family’s lawyer, Christophe Marchand, called it “a gigantic victory,” saying it is difficult for a country to judge its own colonial crimes.

Lumumba, who was 35 when he was executed, remains a symbol of African independence movements. The only known remains of the slain leader, a single gold-capped tooth, were recovered years later after being held by the family of a deceased Belgian officer linked to the disappearance of his body.