The King of the Belgians will visit the DRC in June, a first for ten years

Queen Mathilde of Belgium and King Philippe, leaving for Greece, May 2, 2022 in Melsbroek, near Brussels.

AFP - BENOIT DOPPAGNE

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

In Kinshasa, the office of the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo confirms the announcement of the royal palace in Brussels: a visit by the King of the Belgians next June, at the invitation of Félix Tshisekedi.

The press release from the Brussels Palace announces a one-week visit, between June 7 and 13.

King Philippe, Queen Mathilde will be accompanied by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, and a delegation of entrepreneurs.

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With our correspondent in Brussels,

Pierre Benazet

This will be a major event for Belgium.

And in Brussels, we cross our fingers, in a way, because it is already the fourth attempt to organize this royal trip.

The King of the Belgians' primary intention was to travel to Kinshasa for the 60th anniversary of independence in 2020, ten years after the visit of King Albert II.

But since then, everything has conspired to prevent this visit.

First there was the pandemic, then recently the war in Ukraine, which forced the postponement of the trip planned for March.

This time, the King of the Belgians will travel not only to Kinshasa, but also to Katanga, Lubumbashi and in Kivu, to Bukavu where a meeting with Doctor Denis Mukwege could be scheduled.

The press release from the Congolese presidency evokes a trip that will mark the excellence of relations between Belgium and the DRC.

It must be said that the election of Felix Tshisekedi as president marked the beginning of a new era in relations.

This is also the case of the " 

deep regrets

 " expressed in 2020 by King Philippe for the " 

acts of violence and cruelty

 " committed in the Congo during the colonial era.

Sign of the new attitude of the kingdom of Belgium, the minister responsible for the restitution of Congolese heritage will also be on the trip.

►Read again: Restitution of works of art, Belgium hands over to the DRC the inventory of its heritage

#RDC 05.05.2022|#CitéUA


The Royal Couple of Belgium will be in the DRC from June 07 to 13, 2022. pic.twitter.com/0l2Ki0CizO

- DRC Presidency 🇨🇩 (@Presidence_RDC) May 5, 2022

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