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(CNN)The King of Belgium has sent his "deepest regrets" to the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the "suffering and humiliation" his nation inflicted while it colonized the region -- but stopped short of apologizing for his ancestor Leopold II's atrocities.
On the 60th anniversary of the DRC's independence, King Philippe of Belgium wrote a letter to President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo in which he admitted that "to further strengthen our ties and develop an even more fruitful friendship, we must be able to talk about our long common history in all truth and serenity."
Philippe is a descendent of Leopold II, who owned what was then called Congo Free State between 1885 and 1908 and ruled its people brutally, exploiting their labor and committing atrocities against them. Historians estimate that under Leopold's rule, as many as 10 million people died.
"Our history is made of common achievements but has also experienced painful episodes. At the time of the independent state of Congo, acts of violence and cruelty were committed, which still weigh on our collective memory," the King wrote.
"The colonial period which followed also caused suffering and humiliation," the letter adds, referring to the subsequent 52 years of rule by the Belgian state until Congo's independence and the formation of the DRC. Leopold had ruled the region personally until 1908.
"I would like to express my deepest regrets for these wounds of the past, the pain of which is now revived by the discrimination still too present in our societies," he added.
A reassessment of Belgium's colonial legacy has taken place in the wake of the global Black Lives Matter protests. Several statues depicting the leader have been taken down in the country.
