Latest news with #ColonialLegacy
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Belgium seeking to try ex-official over killing of Congolese prime minister Lumumba
Over 60 years after the killing of the first Congolese prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, prosecutors in Belgium announced Tuesday they were looking to try the last of 10 Belgians accused of complicity in the murder of the iconic leader, in the European country's latest effort to reckon with its colonial past. Belgian prosecutors said Tuesday that they were seeking to put a 92-year-old former diplomat on trial over the 1961 killing of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba. Etienne Davignon is the only one still alive among 10 Belgians who were accused of complicity in the murder of the independence icon in a 2011 lawsuit filed by Lumumba's children. If he goes on trial, Davignon would be the first Belgian official to face justice in the more than six decades since Lumumba was murdered. A fiery critic of Belgium's colonial rule, Lumumba became his country's first prime minister after it gained independence in 1960. But he fell out with the former colonial power and with the United States and was ousted in a coup a few months after taking office. He was executed on January 17, 1961, aged just 35, in the southern region of Katanga, with the support of Belgian mercenaries. His body was dissolved in acid and never recovered. Davignon, who went on to be a vice president of the European Commission in the 1980s, was a trainee diplomat at the time of the assassination. (FRANCE 24 with AFP) Read more on FRANCE 24 EnglishRead also:DR Congo inters independence hero Lumumba's remains after national homageRemains of Congolese independence leader Lumumba returned home
Russia Today
25-05-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
BRICS offers hope for Africa's future – Mandela's granddaughter
Africa must shake off its legacy of dependence on Western colonial powers and seek true independence by boosting cooperation with partners such as Russia and the BRICS group, Ndileka Mandela has told RT. In an exclusive interview ahead of International Africa Day, the granddaughter of late South African President Nelson Mandela said the continent remains constrained by economic control and financial systems that continue to favor Western interests over local development. According to Mandela, her grandfather believed that true freedom and independence for Africa as a whole and South Africa in particular lies in regional unity and global partnerships rooted in equality. 'For Africa, the path to freedom isn't just about breaking free from old dependencies; it's about building new ones that align with our own values and interests,' she said. 'Real freedom means harnessing our resources to benefit every South African. It means breaking free from the economic control that has kept us reliant on systems that don't serve our interests.' Mandela called out Western countries and corporations for continuing to drain the country's natural resources long after the end of formal colonial rule. She argued that BRICS – which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and others – offers a path forward for African nations to break free from exploitative models and build prosperity on their own terms. BRICS holds the potential to reshape economies, advance shared interests, and support meaningful development. It's more than just an economic bloc; it's a chance for countries like ours to grow and overcome challenges together, through mutual respect and shared vision. Mandela went on to say that cooperation with Russia within BRICS 'helps pave the way toward a multipolar world.' She praised Russia as a valuable partner capable of supporting Africa's growth without the strings attached by Western institutions. 'Within this alliance, our collaboration with Russia is a natural extension of shared goals… Russia can be a key partner in ensuring that South Africa and other BRICS nations are not dependent on any single global power,' she said, adding that partnership with the group offers the means to build a resilient economy that values people over profit and builds prosperity for all, not for foreign or corporate interests.
