Women taken from African mothers by Belgium now want redress

NEDER-OVER-HEEMBEEK, Belgium (AP) — Five women who were taken from their families as children in Belgian Congo and placed in a religious mission run by Catholic nuns have filed a lawsuit seeking reparations from Belgium. Born of unions between a white settler father and a Black mother — and despised because of their biracial heritage — the women were among thousands of biracial children seized from their mothers and separated from their African roots by Belgian authorities ruling over the area from 1908-1960. Their lawsuit comes as Congo marks the 60th anniversary of its June 30, 1960, independence, and amid growing demands that Belgium reassess its colonial past.