Belgian King Philippe Visits DR Congo For First Time Since Ascending Throne

Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde on Tuesday are to begin a seven-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo at the invitation of President Félix Tshisekedi.

It will be King Philippe’s first visit to country since ascending to the throne in 2013.

The royals will be accompanied by Belgian government ministers.

They will visit the capital, Kinshasa, and the cities of Lubumbashi and Bukavu.

The trip was initially scheduled for March 2022, but was cancelled because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In June 2020, King Philippe expressed his “deepest regrets” to the Democratic Republic of Congo for his country’s colonial abuses.

It was the first time a Belgian monarch had formally expressed remorse for what happened during the country’s colonial rule.

Belgium controlled the central African country from the 19th Century until it won its independence in 1960. Millions of Africans died during the bloody colonial rule.