Belgian king expresses ‘deepest regrets’ to Congolese
Associated PressKINSHASA, Congo — Belgium’s King Philippe expressed his “deepest regrets” for his nation’s abuses in its former colony Congo, telling lawmakers Wednesday on his first official trip to the country that Belgian colonial rule was unjustifiable and racist. “Although many Belgians were sincerely committed to loving the Congo and its people deeply, the colonial regime, as such, was based on exploitation and domination,” the king told the national legislature in Kinshasa. His speech comes two years after the king made similar comments on the 60th anniversary of Congo’s independence when he went further than any of his predecessors in condemning “acts of violence and cruelty” during Belgian colonial rule. “Belgium must ask for forgiveness from the Congolese people but also compensate them,” said Francis Kambale, a 26-year-old student living in Goma in the country’s east.
History of this topic
Belgian king expresses ‘deepest regrets’ for abuses in DR Congo
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Belgium takes down statue, king regrets colonial violence
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Belgian king expresses ‘regrets’ over colonial past in Congo
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Belgium’s King Philippe sends ‘regrets’ to Congo for Leopold II atrocities
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