Patrice Lumumba is back in the headlines as a reference point in Congo politics and decolonial history, remembering the first prime minister who fought independence. Born July 2, 1925; led Congo to independence, assassinated 1961.
On March 17, 2026, a Brussels court ordered 93-year-old Etienne Davignon, former European Commission vice president and junior diplomat in 1960, to face war crimes charges for his alleged role in the 1961 assassination of Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba. This marks the first prosecution of a Belgian official linked to Lumumba's murder, a pivotal event symbolizing colonial-era injustices.