Lumumba was the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo after the country gained independence from Belgium in 1960. He reigned only briefly and was assassinated in January 1961 by separatists, in the presence of some Belgians. A Belgian policeman is said to have confiscated the tooth when he helped clear up the body of the murdered Lumumba. By his own account, he had sawed the bodies of the prime minister and two associates into pieces and dissolved them in sulfuric acid. Justice found the tooth in 2016 in an investigation into the murder.
Lumumba’s tooth was handed over to his family by our country two weeks ago during a ceremony in Brussels. After the tooth was brought to Congo, it has been shown to the public in various places. The funeral took place on Congo’s 62nd Independence Day. Several African ambassadors and the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs were present. Current President Felix Tshisekedi was pleased that the Congolese people “finally have the honor of offering their glorious prime minister a funeral”.
No DNA test has been done on the tooth, so according to the Belgian justice there is no absolute certainty that it belonged to Lumumba.