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Luxembourg, often celebrated for its neutrality and modest footprint in global geopolitics, has long been perceived as a benign observer of colonial history. But behind this veneer of innocence lies a lesser-known yet deeply entangled involvement in one of Africa’s most brutal colonial chapters: the colonization of the Congo.

While the Grand Duchy never officially held colonies, new historical evidence and academic scrutiny reveal Luxembourg’s active complicity in Belgian imperial exploits, particularly in the Belgian Congo, now the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Economic Ties That Bound: The 1921 Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union

The turning point in Luxembourg’s colonial entanglement came with the establishment of the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) in 1921. This agreement granted Luxembourgers the same economic rights as Belgian nationals in the Congo and opened the door to direct involvement in colonial activities. From 1922 onward, Luxembourgers were permitted to invest, trade, and work in the colony’s exploitative enterprises, particularly in mining and infrastructure.

This legal framework allowed Luxembourgish nationals to profit from extractive industries such as rubber, ivory, and precious minerals, industries notoriously marked by forced labor and inhumane conditions during and after King Leopold II’s reign. Luxembourgish engineers, businesspeople, and missionaries played important roles in the administration, resource extraction, and religious conversion efforts of the colony.

From Railways to Rubber: The Colonial Machinery

Luxembourg’s participation wasn’t merely symbolic or administrative. Its citizens and businesses were directly involved in the logistical backbone of colonial exploitation. Engineers from Luxembourg contributed to the construction of critical infrastructure, including railways used to transport extracted resources, projects that were often built through forced African labor and at an immense human cost.

Similar to Belgian colonialists, Luxembourgers served as soldiers, scientists, and colonial officers. This participation allowed Luxembourg to benefit economically while maintaining an international image of neutrality and non-involvement—a duality that is now facing critical re-evaluation.

Breaking the Silence: Academic and Public Reckoning

The historical silence surrounding Luxembourg's colonial ties has been disrupted by recent works from historians like Yves Schmitz. In his groundbreaking book "Le Luxembourg n’a jamais été une puissance coloniale" (Luxembourg Was Never a Colonial Power), Schmitz challenges the national narrative of innocence. He meticulously documents Luxembourg’s indirect yet impactful involvement in the Congolese colony, tracing the flow of capital, human resources, and political support from Luxembourg to Belgian colonial institutions.