Published: 11:41 AM, 25 August 2026
Congo Wants Belgium to Apologize for Genocides
The Democratic Republic of Congo has continued to seek a fuller reckoning from Belgium over the violence, exploitation and human suffering inflicted during the colonial period. Congolese calls for an official apology have become part of a wider debate over historical justice, reparations and the need to confront the legacy of one of Africa's most painful colonial experiences.
Belgium's rule in Congo began under King Leopold II, who controlled the Congo Free State as his personal possession from 1885 to 1908. The system relied heavily on forced labour and the extraction of rubber and other resources. Reports of killings, mutilation, coercion, famine and disease eventually caused international outrage. Historians have produced varying estimates of the number of people who died as a consequence of the colonial system, with some estimates reaching millions.
After growing international criticism, the Belgian state took control of the territory in 1908. Colonial rule continued until Congo became independent in 1960. Although administration changed, Congolese people continued to face racial discrimination, political exclusion and economic exploitation.
The demand for an apology is therefore not limited to the actions of Leopold II. Congolese activists and historians have also called attention to the wider colonial system and its lasting consequences. They argue that acknowledgement of the past is important for establishing a relationship between the two countries based on equality and mutual respect.
Belgium has taken several steps towards recognizing its colonial history. In June 2020, King Philippe wrote to Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and expressed his "deepest regrets" for violence and suffering during the colonial period. It was the first time a Belgian monarch had publicly expressed such regret. However, the statement stopped short of being a formal apology.
The distinction between regret and apology has become an important part of the debate. Congolese campaigners argue that expressions of sorrow are meaningful but do not fully acknowledge responsibility. A formal apology, they say, would represent a stronger recognition of the injustice suffered by generations of Congolese people.
The issue gained further attention during King Philippe's visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2022. Addressing the Congolese Parliament in Kinshasa, the king again expressed his deepest regret for the wounds of the colonial past. He described the colonial system as being based on exploitation and domination and acknowledged the roles of discrimination and racism. Yet he again stopped short of making a formal apology.
The Belgian Parliament also debated the question. A special parliamentary committee established to examine Belgium's colonial past recommended that Parliament condemn colonial rule in Congo, Rwanda and Burundi and issue an apology for colonial domination, exploitation.
violence and human-rights violations. The committee's work followed renewed public debate about colonialism and racism, particularly after the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.
However, Belgian lawmakers ultimately failed to reach agreement on a formal apology. The disagreement demonstrated how politically sensitive the country's colonial history remains. While some politicians supported an explicit acknowledgement, others were concerned about the possible legal and financial consequences of such a statement.
For Congo, the question is also connected with the broader issue of restitution. Belgium has returned some cultural objects taken during the colonial period, and in 2022 the remains of independence leader Patrice Lumumba were returned to his family. Belgium's prime minister also formally apologized for the circumstances surrounding Lumumba's assassination, showing that official recognition of specific colonial-era wrongs is possible.
Another significant development came through Belgian courts. In a landmark case, a Brussels appeals court ruled that the Belgian state had committed a crime against humanity by forcibly taking mixed-race children from their Congolese mothers during colonial rule and awarded damages to five women who brought the case. The ruling added a new legal dimension to Belgium's reckoning with its colonial past.
The debate over an apology is ultimately about more than words. For many Congolese, acknowledgement of historical suffering is connected with dignity, education, cultural restitution and the possibility of repairing relations between the two countries. Belgium, meanwhile, faces the challenge of confronting its colonial past while addressing the concerns of different political groups and communities.
Congo's demand for an apology has therefore opened a difficult but necessary conversation. A formal apology cannot undo the suffering of the past, but supporters believe it could provide an important symbolic step towards reconciliation. The future of relations between Congo and Belgium may depend partly on whether both countries can confront their shared history honestly and build a partnership founded not on colonial memories, but on equality and respect.
