Patrice Lumumba was the country's first Prime Minister in 1960, before being assassinated a few months later, in January 1961, without his body ever being found. Only clue: a filmed document in which the person who allegedly made the body disappear, Belgian Gerard Soete, shows teeth purported to be those of Patrice Lumumba.

This Tuesday, July 21, 2020, on Belgium's national holiday, the former colonial power, Juliana, the daughter of Patrice Lumumba is announcing that she has requested, by letter to the King of Belgium, that these remains be returned to her.

"In this letter, I am asking that the mortal remains that are in Belgium be returned to us, so that we can finally bury our father with dignity. His remains are sequestered at the Palace of Justice in Belgium. It is with certainty that we know it is under seal at the Palace of Justice, because there was the famous individual who appeared on television saying that he had kept two teeth of Lumumba. That means he had tortured him. We found that and it was taken and placed under seal. That is why, when we learned of it, I believe it is the end of a process, of a hope. Because there were different approaches, but they did not lead to much. For my family, then my brothers and me, it is the end of our duty as children to bury our father. My father and his companions died for this country. They shed their blood in this country. His remains must return home", explains Juliana at length.