CONGO: Family welcomes court ruling for return of late Patrice Lumumba’s tooth

The family of late Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba has welcomed a ruling by a court in Belgium ordering the return of his tooth which was yanked off when he was killed.

Mr Lumumba’s nephew, Jean Jacques Lumumba said the move “is a good step” of what happened.

“[Lumumba] is a hero who we never buried, the decision [of a Belgium court] is a good step to know the truth…there will be phases to get there, ” Mr Jacques said.

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He said two men who were killed alongside Mr Lumumba, Joseph Okito and Maurice Mpolo, “are also Congo heroes” and the truth about their assassination should be revealed as well.

A Belgian court ruled that a tooth taken from Mr Lumumba’s corpse be given to his daughter Juliana – who had written a letter to the Belgian king asking for its return.

Mr Lumumba, who became Congo’s first prime minister after it gained independence from Belgium in 1960, was murdered in 1961 after he was abducted by separatist fighters.

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