Researcher Dieudonné Kwebe-Kimpele highlights brutal torture under Belgian rule in Congo

During Belgium's colonial rule in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the local population was subjected to brutal torture, journalist and independent researcher Dieudonné Kwebe-Kimpele said at the international conference "Belgian Colonialism: Acknowledgement and Responsibility" held in Baku, Report informs.

According to him, Belgian colonizers used horrific methods of punishment, particularly against peasants involved in rubber collection.

"Every villager was required to meet a set quota. If the amount of rubber collected was below the target, overseers beat and tortured the people, and in some cases even mutilated their children. There are documented cases where children's hands were cut off as a form of intimidation," Kwebe-Kimpele stated.

He emphasized that such crimes left a deep scar on the historical memory of the Congolese people, and discussions about Belgium's official apology and acknowledgment of guilt are still ongoing today.