BRUSSELS – Brussels inaugurated a square named after assassinated Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba on Saturday in what campaigners called Belgium&39;s first major step towards tackling its dark colonial legacy.

Hundreds of supporters cheered as campaigners and officials unveiled a blue plaque bearing Lumumba&39;s name in the square, which is at the entrance to the Belgian capital&39;s largely Congolese Matonge area.

It is the first public area in the former colonial power to honour Lumumba, who was killed in 1961 in an incident in which Belgium itself was implicated along with the CIA and British intelligence.

"Today, in the heart of Brussels, by inaugurating Patrice Lumumba Square, we are starting to write our own history," Brussels mayor Philippe Close, who had backed the campaign for a formal honour for Lumumba, told the crowd.

"I want this to be an illustrious day that you will keep in your hearts," the socialist mayor said.

After a rousing series of speeches at an inauguration ceremony attended by Lumumba&39;s family members under blazing hot sun, live music played throughout the afternoon in celebration.

Campaigner Leslie Makoso hailed the "noble and just battle" for a square to honour Lumumba and said it was a victory for "multiculturalism and pluralism".

But she also railed against the exploitation of the Democratic Republic of Congo&39;s rich natural resources by "neocolonialism".

Several speakers criticised the fact that statues to Belgium&39;s King Leopold II are still visible everywhere in Brussels, despite the horrors of his brutal rule over the Congo in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Other statues to colonialist figures in Brussels still honour the "heroes" who "brought civilisation to the Congo".