The family of Patrice Lumumba, the icon of Congolese independence who was assassinated in 1961, has been pushing for a legal reckoning over the complicity of Belgian officials for the past 15 years. One-time European Commissioner Étienne Davignon is the only remaining ex-official still alive to face justice.

The family of Patrice Lumumba, the icon of Congolese independence who was assassinated in 1961, has been pushing for a legal reckoning over the complicity of Belgian officials for…

Much of postcolonial Africa still fails to confront the political vision for which Patrice Lumumba was eliminated.