Court ruling on Belgium’s conduct in colonial Africa hailed as turning point

A historic court ruling that found Belgium guilty of crimes against humanity during its colonial rule of central Africa has been hailed as a turning point that could pave the way for compensation and other forms of justice.

Belgium’s court of appeal ruled last month that the “systematic kidnapping” of mixed-race children from their African mothers in Belgian-ruled Congo, Rwanda and Burundi was a crime against humanity. The case was brought by five women who were removed from their Congolese mothers as small children between 1948 and 1953, and who now live in Belgium and France. Each was awarded €50,000 (£42,000) in damages.

The colonial-era policy affected thousands more métis, children of African mothers and European fathers whom imperial Belgium deemed a threat to the white supremacist order. Many lost all contact with their mothers after being moved hundreds of miles away to live in uncaring religious institutions with meagre rations and inadequate education.

The president of the Association of Métis of Belgium, François Milliex, said the decision “surely opens the door” to those seeking financial compensation for forced separation from their parents.