Belgium is reviewing its colonial past in the DRC: it's a sensitive but necessary process

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, left, receives a ceremonial mask from Belgium's King Philippe in June 2022. Arsene Mpiana/AFP via Getty Images

The year 2022 is shaping up to be a critical period for the troubled relationship between Kinshasa and Brussels.

In June, during a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Belgian king Philippe expressed his regret for the wounds of his country’s colonial past. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo then apologised for Belgium’s “moral responsibility” for the 1961 assassination of DRC Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. The country later repatriated his remains.