Enforced disappearances in Belgium’s colonial past: the re-appearance of the disappeared

Browse Books Journals Global Social Challenges Collections Open access Resources Search Cover Journal of Disappearance Studies Journal of Disappearance Studies Search within journal... Search within journal... Issue Journal Volume 1: Issue 2 Headings Enforced disappearance in the Belgian colonial context A ‘more beautiful and greater’ Belgium Two cases of enforced disappearance Where are our children? The return of mixed-race children ‘We are eternally wounded’ A combination of political and judicial procedures Where are our ancestors? The repatriation of human remains ‘We don’t want these ghosts’ Lack of adequate structural responses Conclusion Funding Research ethics statement Conflict of interest References Subjects and Keywords Metrics Related Content Next Article Enforced disappearances in Belgium’s colonial past: the re-appearance of the disappeared Author: Valerie Rosoux Article Category: Research Article Copyright: © Author 2025 Online Publication Date: 16 Oct 2025 Pages: 171–188 Publisher: Bristol University Press Volume/Issue: Volume 1: Issue 2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1332/30498414Y2025D000000017 Keywords: Belgium; colonialism; Congo; Rwanda; Burundi; reconciliation; justice Full Access Download PDF Get eTOC alerts Article history Rights and permissions Cite this article Abstract Full Text PDF Figures References Author Notes Metrics Accessibility Metadata This article examines enforced disappearance within the context of Belgium’s colonial past, focusing on its potential reversal in two distinct scenarios. The first concerns mixed-race children who were abducted in Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi in the late 1950s. Some of these individuals have recently gained access to their personal archives, allowing them to trace their mothers and reconnect with their families. The second case involves the repatriation of human remains from the former Belgian colonies. These remains are taken as ‘war trophies’ or for scientific purposes. Calls for their return are rooted in the imperative to respect the deceased and uphold the rights of their descendants. The goal of this article is not to provide a historical, legal, or anthropological analysis of these two phenomena. Instead, it concentrates on judicial and non-judicial proceedings established to restore dignity to victims of enforced disappearance in post-colonial contexts. In particular, it investigates the debates sparked by the Special Commission set up by the Belgian Parliament in 2020 to address the country’s colonial legacy. Methodologically, the study draws on two and a half years of fieldwork conducted within the parliamentary commission (July 2020 – December 2022). The author served as a member of the two successive panels of experts appointed by Parliament.