We remember with solemn respect the millions of Congolese lives irrevocably altered or lost under Belgian colonial domination. The territory now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo was formally governed as the Belgian Congo from 1908 until 30 June 1960, after decades of private rule under King Leopold II beginning in 1885.

Under colonial systems of forced labor, violent repression, and economic extraction — particularly during the Congo Free State period and continuing into the Belgian Congo — historians estimate that millions of Congolese people died through a combination of brutality, famine, disease, and family disruption. Noted research places these excess deaths on the order of several million people, representing one of the gravest human tolls of the colonial era.

In honoring those lost, we hold close the memory of Congolese leaders who stood for independence and were killed amid the struggle for freedom:

Patrice Lumumba (1925–1961), the first Prime Minister of independent Congo, was deposed, tortured, and executed on 17 January 1961 with the involvement and complicity of Belgian authorities, even after formal independence. He remains a poignant symbol of Congolese self-determination.

Maurice Mpolo (1928–1961) and Joseph Okito (1910–1961), both close associates of Lumumba and fellow advocates for Congolese autonomy, were executed alongside him on the same day, sacrifices intertwined with the violent suppression that surrounded the country’s post-colonial transition.

Besides Patrice Lumumba, Joseph Kasa-Vubu, Albert Kalonji, Jean Bolikango, Cléophas Kamitatu, and Paul Bolya are also considered Fathers of Independence in Congo.

Their courage, and that of countless unnamed Congolese who resisted domination, endure as a testament to the human spirit in the face of oppression. May their memories remind us of the value of dignity, justice, and freedom for all.