A 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat, Etienne Davignon, has appealed a court decision ordering him to stand trial over the 1961 killing of Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba, his lawyer confirmed on Friday. Davignon, who was a junior diplomat at the time of the events, is the only surviving individual among…
Patrice Emery Lumumba, one of Africa’s most iconic independence leaders, rose rapidly to prominence after delivering a fiery speech on June 30, 1960, during the Democratic Republic of Congo’s independence ceremony. In front of Belgium’s King Baudouin, the newly appointed prime minister openly condemned the brutality and racism of colonial…