Étienne Davignon, a 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat who became the first person charged in connection with the 1961 murder of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba, has died before standing trial.

Davignon's death was confirmed by the Jacques Delors Institute, a think tank where he served on the board. He had been set to face trial for his alleged role in the assassination of Lumumba, who served as the first prime minister of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Lumumba was killed in 1961, shortly after Congo gained independence from Belgium. His death has remained one of the most controversial political assassinations in African history, with allegations of foreign involvement persisting for decades.

Davignon was an aristocrat who built a decades-long career as one of Belgium's leading diplomats and industrialists. He served as a European commissioner and held various high-profile positions throughout his professional life.

With Davignon's death, he was the last living person targeted in the investigation into Lumumba's assassination. The case had represented a rare attempt to bring legal accountability for the killing of the Congolese leader more than six decades after his death.

The trial would have marked a significant moment in addressing historical injustices related to Belgium's colonial past in Central Africa.