Belgian ex-diplomat appeals order to stand trial over 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba

A former senior Belgian diplomat has filed an appeal against a court ruling ordering him to stand trial in connection with the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s first prime minister, who was killed in 1961. The ex-diplomat’s lawyer confirmed the appeal to Reuters on 27 March 2026.

Lumumba’s killing, in which Belgian officials and Western intelligence agencies have long been implicated, remains one of the most politically charged episodes of post-colonial African history.