DRC demands return of hundreds of colonial-era human remains from Belgium

DRC demands return of hundreds of colonial-era human remains from Belgium

The letter describes the remains as having been removed during colonial rule, either as war trophies or for scientific study.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has formally requested that Belgium return hundreds of human remains taken during the colonial period, saying they should be buried with dignity in their country of origin.
The request was made in a letter from DRC Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka to Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, according to Belgian newspaper De Morgen.
The letter describes the remains as having been removed during colonial rule, either as war trophies or for scientific study.
“The dead must be able to rest in dignity in their country of origin and must not be regarded merely as collector's items,” the letter stated, as quoted by De Morgen.
More than 500 sets of human remains, mainly from the DRC but also from Rwanda and Burundi, are still held in Belgian institutions. The majority are kept at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural History in Brussels, while others are housed at the AfricaMuseum.
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According to Belgian media reports, around 260 skulls from the collection were shown to a limited audience for the first time in November 2025.
The issue is rooted in Belgium’s colonial rule over the Congo from 1885 to 1960, 75 years widely associated with forced labour, violence and exploitation under King Leopold II and his successors.
Historians estimate that millions of Congolese people died as a result of forced labour, disease and starvation, with some studies citing figures of up to 10 million deaths.
In 2020, Belgium’s King Philippe expressed regret for the suffering caused during colonial rule, although Belgium has not issued a formal state apology.
“I would like to express my deepest regrets for these injuries of the past, the pain of which is now revived by the discrimination still present in our societies,” King Philippe wrote to DRC President Felix Tshisekedi then.
The DRC government’s latest request adds to growing calls for the repatriation of human remains and cultural artefacts taken during colonialism, as debates over historical accountability and restitution continue across Europe.

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