Étienne Davignon, the 93-year-old Belgian former diplomat who was the last living person charged in connection with the 1961 assassination of Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, has died before he could stand trial. His death was confirmed by the Jacques Delors Institute, where he served on the board.
In March, Davignon was ordered to stand trial for war crimes for his alleged involvement in the extra-judicial killing of Lumumba, who was elected the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo upon its independence from Belgium in 1960. Lumumba was ousted from power months later and killed by Belgian-backed secessionist rebels on 16 January 1961.
Prosecutors alleged that Davignon, then a junior diplomat, participated in the unlawful detention or transfer of Lumumba and deprived him of his right to an impartial trial. He was also accused of involvement in the murder of two of Lumumba's political allies, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito. Davignon denied any wrongdoing and was awaiting an appeal against the court's decision at the time of his death.
The Lumumba family welcomed the court's decision to order a trial, stating: 'For our family, this is not the end of a long fight, it is the beginning of a reckoning that history has long demanded.' Davignon was the last surviving suspect in the Belgian investigation; cases against other suspects were closed due to their deaths.
After his Congo assignment, Davignon rose to become a leading figure in the Belgian establishment, serving as cabinet chief to Prime Minister Paul-Henri Spaak and as European commissioner from 1977 to 1985. Born a viscount, he was elevated to the rank of count by King Philippe in 2018.
