In 2005, an early day motion before the British House of Commons, introduced by Andrew Dismore, called for the recognition of the Congo Free State's atrocities as a "colonial genocide" and called on the Belgian government to issue a formal apology. In the 19th Century, European powers began seizing large swathes of Africa for colonial exploitation. Belgium’s King Philippe expresses regrets to the DR Congo for his country’s colonial abuses, however, fails to apologize. It also had a concession in China, and was a co-administrator of the Tangier International Zone in Morocco. "He never went to [DR Congo] himself," the prince said in an interview. Read about our approach to external linking. The “métis” children born to Belgian settlers and local women were forcibly taken to Belgium and fostered by Catholic orders and other institutions. The remarks, however, fell short of an outright apology. Thousands of Belgians have demonstrated in recent weeks and statues of Belgium's colonial leader King Leopold II have been vandalised. Close. We need African views too, so … Lumumba was seized, tortured, and executed in a coup supported by the Belgian authorities, the United States, and the United Nations. “In the name of the federal government, I present my apologies to the metis of the Belgian colonial era and their families for the injustices and the sufferings they have endured,” Prime Minister Charles Michel told Parliament as dozens of former abductees looked on. The message of the museum needs to change so it doesn't only reflect the view of Belgium before 1960 [when Congo became independent]. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel has apologised for the kidnapping of thousands of children born to mixed-race couples during colonial rule in Burundi, DR Congo and Rwanda. The reigning monarch made the comments in a letter to President Félix Tshisekedi on the 60th anniversary of DR Congo's independence. © 2021 BBC. BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium apologized on Thursday for kidnapping thousands of mixed-race children from Congo between 1959 and 1962, in a move to address the legacy of its often brutal 80 years of African colonization. Belgium’s colonial-era segregation laws banned interracial marriage, and children born from a Congolese mother and Belgian father were considered to represent the abuse of those laws and shipped away. The country lasted from 1885 to 1908. Has Belgium ever acknowledged or apologized for Leopold's Congo? The Belgian Congo (French: Congo belge, pronounced [kɔ̃ɡo bɛlʒ]; Dutch: Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. VideoFive electric car brands to look out for in China, The lowdown on the international feature Oscar nominees, Surfer’s ‘shock’ reunion with long-lost board. Posted by u/[deleted] 6 years ago. There is a renewed focus on the European nation's history after the death of George Floyd in police custody in the US and the Black Lives Matter protests that followed. Read about our approach to external linking. Now, the demand for a formal apology has entered the political mainstream. Sixty years after Congo gained its independence, the Belgian king has expressed his "deepest regrets" for the suffering his nation caused as a colonial power. Belgian apology for mixed-race kidnappings, The mixed-race children Belgium took from their mothers, US launches federal probe into Minneapolis police. ... Congo and Rwanda for eight decades. It was established by the Belgian parliament to replace the previous, privately owned Congo Free State , after international outrage over abuses there brought pressure for supervision and accountability. But he says there have been "painful episodes" in their history, including during the reign of King Leopold II - who he does not directly name - and in the 20th Century. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Conditions became so terrible other countries exposed and condemned the atrocities. Belgium, not unlike other European nations, has a difficult relationship with its colonial past. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. This is the first time a Belgian monarch has formally expressed remorse for what happened during the country's colonial rule. 4. US launches federal probe into Minneapolis police1, Putin warns West against crossing any 'red line'2, Black teenage girl shot dead by police in Ohio4, Indonesian submarine goes missing north of Bali5, Chad rivals reject Déby's son inheriting power6, Chauvin guilty verdict a giant step, says Biden7, Celebs to Biden: Reject Amazon deal with Bolsonaro8, Mexico cartel uses drones to drop bombs on police9, Scammers steal $32m from 90-year old in Hong Kong10. He decided to call for Soviet military assistance to quell the burgeoning Congo Crisis brought about by the Belgian-supported secessionists. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-belgium-congo-idUSKCN1RG2NF Belgian Congo, French Congo Belge, former colony (coextensive with the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) in Africa, ruled by Belgium from 1908 until 1960. Jay Connor. VideoThe beauty ideal fuelling an illicit drugs trade, The passport helping Denmark open up after Covid, Navalny's supporters fear Putin wants him dead, Chad's future rocked by president's battlefield death. Widespread resistance eventually led to the nation winning its independence in 1960. Belgium’s rule in what is now Democratic Republic of Congo was particularly cruel, especially between 1885 and 1908, when the country, then called the Congo Free State, was run as a private fiefdom by King Leopold II. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964.. Colonial rule in the Congo began in the late 19th century. Belgium's King Philippe has expressed his "deepest regrets" to the Democratic Republic of Congo for his country's colonial abuses. King Philippe is a descendant of the 19th Century ruler. "I would like to express my deepest regrets for these injuries of the past, the pain of which is now revived by the discrimination still too present in our societies," King Philippe wrote. Authorities would chop off the limbs of enslaved people when they did not meet quotas of materials such as rubber demanded by the crown. And because of this, the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent has stated in its report that Belgium should apologize for the crimes committed in Congo. I encourage the reflection that has been initiated by our parliament so that our memory is definitively pacified.". In a letter sent to President Tshisekedi and published in Belgian media, King Philippe praises the "privileged partnership" between the two nations now. Belgium to apologise for kidnapping of children from Congo Mixed-race children born in 1940s and 50s were forcibly taken from Congolese mothers … 4/05/19 4:00PM. Video, Surfer’s ‘shock’ reunion with long-lost board, The beauty ideal fuelling an illicit drugs trade. During this period more than 10 million Africans are thought to have died of disease, colonial abuses, and while working on plantations for the king. However, the matter is complicated by tense Belgium-Congo relations and by the recent elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the upcoming ones in Belgium. It is the first time that a Belgian monarch has offered any form of apology for the brutality, death and plunder that the nation oversaw after colonising Congo in the 19th century. The newly named Belgian Congo, which included the whole of the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo, gained independence from Belgium in 1960. “I am very moved,” said metis Jeannot Cardinael who was present in parliament. The only apology for any of Belgium’s actions in the Congo was in 2002, when the foreign minister offered “profound and sincere regrets” for the assassination in 1961 of Patrice Lumumba, the first post-independence leader, a left-wing populist, who was shot dead with the complicity of Belgian … "I will continue to fight all forms of racism. “It is a recognition of what the Belgian state has done to us, in collaboration with the Church. Belgium controlled two colonies during its history, the Belgian Congo (modern DRC) from 1908 to 1960, and Ruanda-Urundi (Rwanda and Burundi) from 1922 to 1962. About 60 percent of Belgians want to see statues of colonial figures removed from public places and relocated to museums, while 75 percent said the country should apologize to the D.R. Belgium formally apologised yesterday for its role in the assassination of the Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba in 1961. “I hope that this solemn moment will be an additional step toward an awareness and knowledge of this part of our national history.”. The reigning monarch made the comments in … Belgium’s King Sends Letter of Regret Over Colonial Past in Congo The first acknowledgment by the royal family of the European country’s … Millions of Africans died during Belgium's bloody colonial rule. Video, Five electric car brands to look out for in China, Surfer’s ‘shock’ reunion with long-lost board. Simply so, why did Belgium colonize the Congo? The apology was the first time Belgium has officially acknowledged responsibility for the policy of segregation under which ‘metis’ children were abducted from Congo and put in schools and orphanages in Belgium run by the Catholic Church. In recent years, the government has apologized for other aspects of its relationship with the Congo: Former Prime Minister Charles Michel apologized for the separation of mixed-race children from their Congolese mothers, while his father Louis Michel, as foreign affairs minister, apologized for Belgium’s role in the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the Congo’s first post-colonial prime minister. That proved to be the last straw. Authorities in Antwerp have removed a statue of him from a public square. What happens to your body in extreme heat? Belgian colonial empire. 468. Just like the UK, Belgium is a constitutional monarchy - meaning King Philippe's statement will have been agreed beforehand with the government of Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès. 25. In December, Belgium reopened its Africa Museum after five years of renovations aimed at turning the institution from a pro-colonial exhibition into one critical of colonial rule. Slave labor to develop vast rubber reserves, maiming and torture cost the lives of between 10 million and 15 million people. King Philippe of Belgium sent his “deepest regrets” for the country’s past atrocities in a letter to President Félix Thisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Tuesday. The justice department announces probe into state police practices after George Floyd murder verdict. Belgium's King Philippe has expressed his "deepest regrets" to the Democratic Republic of Congo for his country's colonial abuses. The reigning monarch made the comments in a letter to President Félix Tshisekedi on the 60th anniversary of DR Congo’s independence. VideoSurfer’s ‘shock’ reunion with long-lost board, The beauty ideal fuelling an illicit drugs trade. The United Nations has told Belgium to apologise for its colonial past and criticised its newly renovated Africa Museum for not doing enough to exorcise the demons of it exploitation of the Congo. Video, The beauty ideal fuelling an illicit drugs trade, Black teenage girl shot dead by police in Ohio, Chad rivals reject Déby's son inheriting power, Chauvin guilty verdict a giant step, says Biden, Celebs to Biden: Reject Amazon deal with Bolsonaro, Mexico cartel uses drones to drop bombs on police, Scammers steal $32m from 90-year old in Hong Kong, the death of George Floyd in police custody, Belgium 'wakes up' to its bloody colonial history, The horrific consequences of rubber's toxic past. Last year, for the first time, Belgium acknowledged responsibility and formally apologized for segregation policies under which mixed-race children were … Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. ... this did not come to pass as Jefferson won the runoff, and the first peaceful transition of power in the United States resulted. Belgium Prime Minister Apologizes to African Nations for Colonization, Kidnapping of Mixed-Raced Children. The report noted that racism was "endemic" in Belgium's institutions, and for relations to move forward, Belgium should … The King's apology came amidst a global anti-racism demonstration. That happened in 2002, after a parliamentary commission assigned responsibility to the Belgian state for that event, and further came to the conclusion that “both among the Congolese and among the Belgians, there are unresolved issues related to our past [w.r.t. The ABIR Congo Company (founded as the Anglo-Belgian India Rubber Company and later known as the Compagnie du Congo Belge) was the company appointed to exploit natural rubber in the Congo … Belgium controlled the central African country from the 19th Century until it won its independence in 1960. Many in Belgium are unaware of its complicated past, and last February a U.N. Security Council panel of experts said in a report that racial discrimination was “endemic” in Belgium’s institutions. Congo … Last year parliament unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the government to apologize and recognize the role played by Belgium and the Catholic Church during its colonial occupation of Burundi, Congo and Rwanda. Relief and tears: 'Finally we can breathe' Video, Relief and tears: 'Finally we can breathe', Five electric car brands to look out for in China. Prince Laurent did, however, add that whenever he met African heads of state he always apologised "for the actions Europeans have done to Africans in general". It was supported by 48 MPs. "I do not see how he could have made people there suffer.". Putin warns West against crossing any 'red line', Indonesian submarine goes missing north of Bali, Why second Covid wave is devastating India, Relief and tears: 'Finally we can breathe' VideoRelief and tears: 'Finally we can breathe', Five electric car brands to look out for in China. Mark here: There is nobody alive to answer for those horrors, & no surviving beneficiaries. They took away a part of our identity and now they admit that mistake.”, Editing by Edward McAllister; editing by John Stonestreet. The letter coincided with the 60th anniversary of the DRC’s independence and was a historic first. The King of Belgium Philip Leopold sent a letter to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo on Tuesday to apologize for the violent events which occurred while it colonized the region. Earlier this month King Philippe's brother, Prince Laurent, defended Leopold II. Europeans colonizers managed to get away with their colonial crimes - and they have never really been accountable. Critics say more still needs to be done, but Thursday’s apology was an important step forward for some. More than 10 million Africans are thought to have died during his reign. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. 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