Belgo-Congolese Round Table Conference

Patrice Lumumba at the Round Table Conference of 1960

The Belgo-Congolese Round Table Conference (French: Table ronde belgo-congolaise) was a meeting organized in two parts[1] in 1960 in Brussels (January 20 – February 20[2] and April 26 – May 16 [3]) between on the one side representatives of the Congolese political class and chiefs (French: chefs coutumiers) and on the other side Belgian political and business leaders.[2] The round table meetings led to the adoption of sixteen resolutions on the future of Belgian Congo and its institutional reforms. With a broad consensus, the date for independence was set on June 30, 1960.

Background

The idea for a round table conference was first formulated in 1959 by the Congolese Labour Party (PTC, French: Parti Travailliste Congolais).[4] It gathered support from the Bakongo Alliance (ABAKO) and the Belgian Socialist Party (PSB).[4] The idea of a bilateral conference aimed at organizing the independence of the Belgian colony was in turn adopted by the minister of Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi, August de Schryver, who was also the leader of the Christian Social Party, Belgium's largest political party at the time.[5] Several factors contributed to this idea taking shape, including:

The creation of a large scale Belgian-Congolese dialogue was also compatible with a speech from Belgian King Baudouin broadcast on January 13, 1959. Where he expressed the desire to "lead the Congolese populations, without harmful procrastination, but also without thoughtless haste, toward independence, in prosperity, and in peace."[10]

On January 3, 1960 the Belgian government announced it was convening a round table conference with the goal of helping the Congolese transition from colonial rule to independence.[3]

Congolese delegations

A number of traditional chiefs (chefs coutumiers) were invited to the Round Table Conference to reduce the proportion of key independence figures in the delegations.[11] The following is a complete list of the Congolese delegates and their Belgian advisers to the first conference:[12][lower-alpha 1]

Political parties

Tribal chieftains

Advisers

Other

Edouard Bayona, a Congolese attaché to the Belgian government, was appointed to attend the conference.[13] Journalist and future Congolese dictator Joseph-Désiré Mobutu attended the conference as Patrice Lumumba's secretary.[11]

Belgian delegation

On the Belgian side, among others, the following people were present:[11]

Étienne Davignon, future vice-president of the European Commission, was also at the conference attached to the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Prelude

On the eve of the conference the Congolese delegations held a series of meetings. Concern was expressed by Congolese students in Brussels that disunity in the Congo would prevent the delegates from taking advantage of Belgium's tenuous position. As a result almost all of the delegations resolved to form a "Common Front" (Front Commun) to present their demands at the conference.[14] That evening the Common Front released its first statement. It was demanded that the negotiations be more than consultative; all decisions reached should be made binding on the Belgian government. It also required that the Congo should immediately be granted independence. De Schryver and the Belgian delegation were shocked by the joint statement, having underestimated the full extent of Congolese discontent and their willingness to cooperate across party lines.[15]

First conference

The Round Table Conference was opened on January 20 with a speech by Belgian Prime Minister Gaston Eyskens.[16]

Results

At the end of the conference, the following notable resolutions were adopted:[1]

Notes

  1. ↑ Some individuals are only identified by their surname.

See also

Citations

References

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