Congo researcher: Belgium has yet to abandon its colonial mindset

People continue to die in the Democratic Republic of Congo, yet the international community remains largely silent about the ongoing tragedy, journalist and independent Congolese researcher Dieudonné Kwebe-Kimpele said during a discussion at Baku State University (BSU) on “Belgian Colonialism in Central Africa and Its Severe Consequences That Persist to This Day.”

According to Kwebe-Kimpele, the main reason for this silence is that Congo continues to be perceived primarily as a reservoir of natural resources rather than as a sovereign and independent nation.

“We are governed at the provincial level and have effectively become a raw material appendage. So we don’t feel like a full-fledged nation — this is not the path we have chosen,” he said.

The researcher added that Belgium still perceives Congo as a territory that was merely "granted independence," rather than as a nation that achieved it through its own struggle.

He referred to a 2019 report by the UN Working Group on People of African Descent, which concluded that Belgian colonial rule in Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi led to approximately 10 million deaths, the mutilation of tens of thousands of people who lost their hands, the forced labor of hundreds of thousands, and the forcible removal of around 20,000 Mestizo children from their families for assimilation purposes. The UN report urged Belgium to create a truth commission, open its colonial archives, and provide reparations to affected populations.

The event also highlighted the role of the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), an international NGO founded on July 6, 2023, in Baku, which promotes global partnerships in decolonisation and human rights.

The organisation was established following the “Towards the Total Elimination of Colonialism” conference held during the Non-Aligned Movement ministerial meeting under Azerbaijan’s chairmanship.

BIG actively supports people struggling for freedom and independence under colonial or neocolonial conditions. Beyond its decolonisation mission, the group also advances women’s empowerment, human rights, environmental protection, and cultural initiatives, combining solidarity with practical assistance. The organisation continues to advocate for communities around the world that still face forms of colonisation in the 21st century.

By Tamilla Hasanova