Alexis Thambwe Mwamba (born May 6, 1943) is a Congolese politician who has assumed various political roles and offices since the early 1980s going from Minister of Public Works, Minister of State Portfolio, Minister of Transportation, Minister of Planning, Minister of Foreign Affairs and recently in December 2014, he was appointed Minister of Justice of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Born in Longa,

Maniema Maniema is one of 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its capital is Kindu. Toponymy Henry Morton Stanley explored the area, calling it Manyema.Stanley, H.M., 1899, Through the Dark Continent, London: G. Newnes, Vol. One , ...

province, Thambwe Mwamba is a practicing lawyer in the Democratic Republic of Congo and possibly one of the longest serving public servant of the country from the time he was first appointed Minister of Public Works in 1985 serving in the government of Mobutu Sese Seko.Le juge belge dénonce un ministre congolais
''

Le Soir ''Le Soir'' (, "The Evening") is a French-language Belgian daily newspaper. Founded in 1887 by Emile Rossel, it was intended as a politically independent source of news. It is one of the most popular Francophone newspapers in Belgium, competing ...

'', 2003-01-08, accessed on 2008-09-01 During the Second Congo War, Thambwe Mwamba was a member of the rebel

Movement for the Liberation of Congo The Movement for the Liberation of the Congo (french: Mouvement de Libération du Congo, or MLC) is a political party in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Formerly a rebel group operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo that fought the govern ...

led by

Jean-Pierre Bemba Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo (born 4 November 1962) is a politician in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was one of four vice-presidents in the transitional government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 17 July 2003 to December 2 ...

that controlled much of the north of the country.Congo ministers attacked in Bemba trial "warning"
''

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was esta ...

'', 2009-08-31 A

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

investigated Thambwe Mwamba for money laundering, over payments he allegedly received to finance the war from international trafficking of

coltan Coltan (short for columbite–tantalites and known industrially as tantalite) is a dull black metallic ore from which the elements niobium and tantalum are extracted. The niobium-dominant mineral in coltan is columbite (after niobium's original ...

.DRC: Belgium to probe Congolese minister accused of money laundering
'' IRIN'', 2003-01-09 He was Minister of Planning and Reconstruction in the

Transitional Government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or f ...

from 2003 to 2006. He was

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

as an independent member of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

for

Kindu Kindu is a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the capital of Maniema province. It has a population of about 200,000 and is situated on the Lualaba River at an altitude of about 500 metres, and is about 400 km west of Bukavu. Kindu ...

in the 2006 general election and joined the government under President

Joseph Kabila Joseph Kabila Kabange ( , ; born 4 June 1971) is a Congolese politician who served as President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between January 2001 and January 2019. He took office ten days after the assassination of his father, Pres ...

. He was appointed Foreign Minister. In late August 2009, shots were fired at his house as a threat against testifying in the trial at the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals f ...

of Bemba. 27 July 2019 Alexis Thambwe Mwamba was elected President of the Senate. On 5 February 2021, he resigned from this position, thereby avoiding an anticipated removal process.

Career

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thambwe Mwamba, Alexis 1943 births Living people Presidents of the Senate (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Foreign Ministers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo People from Maniema Movement for the Liberation of the Congo politicians Government ministers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo people