Conflict episode
Removal and killing of Patrice Lumumba, 1961
Patrice Lumumba, the Congo's first Prime Minister, was transferred to Katanga on 17 January 1961 and killed the same day; a 2001 Belgian parliamentary commission of inquiry found that Belgian authorities bore "moral responsibility" for failing to prevent the killing, and Belgium's Foreign Minister apologised in February 2002.
What happened
Patrice Lumumba, the Congo's first Prime Minister, was removed from office amid the crisis and transferred to Katanga on 17 January 1961, where he was killed the same day. A Belgian parliamentary commission of inquiry, which concluded its work in November 2001, found that Belgian authorities bore "moral responsibility" for failing to prevent the killing despite knowing the danger Lumumba faced; Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel apologised to Lumumba's family and the Congolese public in February 2002. This page reports the commission's own finding rather than adjudicating responsibility itself.[1]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: Patrice Lumumba was transferred to Katanga on 17 January 1961 and killed the same day. A Belgian parliamentary commission of inquiry, which concluded its work in November 2001, found that Belgian authorities bore "moral responsibility" for failing to prevent the killing despite knowing the danger Lumumba faced; Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel apologised to Lumumba's family and the Congolese public in February 2002.
- Belgium apologizes for Lumumba assassination (The Globe and Mail / Associated Press, February 2002) link, article text. Source record