The King of Belgium apologized to the Congo for the tyranny committed by his ancestors

It is written on June 30, 1960. The workers of the first UN peacekeeping mission arrived in the devastated Congo. Their arrival ended bloody decades during which the regime of King Leopold II of Belgium enslaved the people of the African state.

During Belgian rule, the people of the Congo worked in appalling conditions. The enslaved inhabitants had to obtain rubber on the plantations for Belgium. They were threatened with death if they did not comply with the quotas, or at best the severance of their hands.

Although Congo did not gain complete independence until 1960, King Leopold II. he had to leave the Central African country to the Belgian state as early as 1908. Until then, Congo was de facto his property, and the enslaved Africans had to call Leopold their king.

Belgium’s rule over the Congo began in 1885 and ended in 1960. Within 75 years, about half of the country’s population has died. In the letter, the current King of Belgium – Philip – apologized in the letter for the monstrosity of the then regime.

“I would like to express my deep regret at the past wounds, the pain of which is now reviving because of the discrimination that is still present in our society. I will continue to fight all forms of racism,” the Belgian head of state wrote.

In Belgium, as in other parts of the world, the issue of racism is now very sensitive. Demonstrations after the death of the black man George Floyd aroused the discussion.

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