Baku hosts international conference on Belgian colonialism

On October 31, a major international conference on Belgian colonialism opened in Baku, focusing on the recognition of its historical crimes and the enduring consequences still felt today.

Organised by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), the event marks the first platform in the region to provide a comprehensive assessment of Belgium’s colonial legacy, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

Delegates include representatives from former Belgian colonies – the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi – alongside diplomats, historians, legal experts, and specialists in international law from eight countries.

Key topics under discussion include the atrocities committed by Belgian colonisers in Africa, including mass killings, enforced ethnic divisions, the plunder of cultural heritage, the long-term impact of colonial policies, ongoing neo-colonial control over African resources, and the push to address reparations at the international level.

According to a 2019 UN Working Group report on people of African descent, an estimated 10 million people were killed under Belgian colonial rule in Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi.

Tens of thousands were mutilated, hundreds of thousands forced into slavery, and 20,000 children of mixed heritage were separated from their families and subjected to assimilation policies.

The UN report recommended that Belgium establish a truth commission, open colonial archives, and provide compensation to affected communities.

By Aghakazim Guliyev