Baku to host conference on injustices of Belgian colonialism

An international conference titled “Injustices of Belgian Colonialism and 101 Years of Struggle for Reparations” will be held in Baku under the organisation of the Baku Initiative Group (BIG).

The event will bring together officials from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Burundi, all former Belgian colonies where Belgium continues to exert neo-colonial influence, as well as representatives from Morocco, South Africa and the United Nations, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

Among the participants will be the Ombudsman of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), members of the Congolese Parliament, Rwanda’s ambassador to Türkiye and other diplomats, along with UN experts.

The conference will also feature experts, researchers and human rights defenders specialising in international law, the restoration of historical justice and reparations, among other fields.

The conference will also address the need to ensure full and unrestricted access to Belgium’s colonial archives, give experts from former colonial territories an equal role alongside international specialists, and facilitate the repatriation of human remains and other historical materials to their countries of origin.

By Jeyhun Aghazada