Emmanuel Dungia
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Emmanuel Dungia (20 April 1948 – 1 February 2006) was a
diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...
of the
Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
(DRC) and author of the political book: ''Mobutu and the money of Zaïre: the revelations of a diplomat, former Secret Services agent'' (''Mobutu et l’argent du Zaïre: les révélations d'un diplomate, ex-agent des Services secrets''). The latter includes the report prepared for the
International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
by Erwin Blumenthal, former Director of Foreign Affairs of the
Bundesbank The Deutsche Bundesbank (), literally "German Federal Bank", is the central bank of the Federal Republic of Germany and as such part of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). Due to its strength and former size, the Bundesbank is the most ...
. Dungia was also imprisoned but was eventually acquitted by the Congolese government for his alleged involvement in a plot to overthrow Laurent Kabila who was assassinated 16 January 2001.


Early life and education

Emmanuel Dungia was the son of François Zoambe Kuku Dungia, a male
nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...
and Wivine Yumbe Mbisala, a housewife who had given birth to him in Bondaki, an area around
Gemena Gemena is the capital city of Sud-Ubangi Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has a population of 350,511 (2017). The city has a large airport and hosts the 10th integrated Brigade of the new FARDC since 2007. Mobutu Sese Seko ...
in the region of
Sud-Ubangi District Sud-Ubangi (French for "South Ubangi") is one of the 21 new provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. It lies in the northwest of the country on the Ubangi River. Sud-Ubangi, Équateur, Mongala, Nord ...
in the province of the Équateur in the
Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...
(present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo).


Education

In 1952, he started primary school at the Catholic Mission of Bosobolo (''Mission catholique de Bosobolo''). As a young adult Dungia worked for a short while before continuing his studies. He then gets hired by the Advance for Home Funds (''Maisons des Fonds d’avance'') service. Unhappy with the job, Dungia returns to studying, enrolling at Lovanium University (''université Lovanium''), where he is admitted in the Trade section of the Economics Faculty. Dungia then became professor of mathematics at the Lumumba Athenaeum (''Athénée Lumumba'') in the municipality of Limete in Kinshasa. Shortly after resuming studies in his second year at university, he obtained a scholarship from the
European Common Market The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...
to study commercial engineering. In the fall of 1969–70, Dungia was admitted at the
University of Louvain A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
(UCLouvain). In 1977, he graduated from commercial and financial sciences at the Saint-Louis Higher Institute of Commerce (''Institut supérieur de Commerce Saint-Louis'') in Brussels.


Career under Mobutu Sese Seko


Intelligence services

In February 1978, Emmanuel Dungia left Belgium to return permanently to Zaïre where shortly after his return he was hired in the Finance administration department as an Inspector of Finance. Dungia obtained his position in the intelligence services through acquaintances at the University of Leuven, who introduced him to Seti Yale, at the time the chief of the Zairian security service. Dungia reported that later that he realized that Seti's action might have been dictated by the need to collect some information on his rival in leadership around Mobutu, Honoré Ngbanda. After training in the Zairian intelligence services for a month, Dungia was first assigned as assistant, then as the head of security at the
Ndjili International Airport N'djili Airport (french: Aéroport de N'djili ), also known as N'Djili International Airport and Kinshasa International Airport, serves the city of Kinshasa and is the largest of the four international airports in the Democratic Republic of th ...
. In 1979, he was transferred to the central management research department (''service d’études à la direction centrale'').


Diplomatic assignments in Europe

Dungia was sent on diplomatic missions to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
(1980–81), Brussels (1981–86) and the Vatican (1986–89). In 1989, he returned to Kinshasa working as a liaison security agent under the official title of diplomatic adviser to Foreign Minister Nguza Karl-I-Bond. However, since 1986 Dungia had grown uncomfortable with Mobutu's management system that he referred to as "criminal". In April 1990, Mobutu's political regime evolved into a multi-party system. After the formation of the first transitional government, the Minister's Office of Nguza gives way to that of Mushobekwa Kalimba Wa Katana. However, Dungia refused to reinstate the security service as a result of the latter cabinet restructuring.


First exile and publications

After having completed the manuscript of his book ''Mobutu et l’argent du Zaïre'', which went on sale on 28 January 1992, he prepated himself for exile in Belgium. The book becomes an international success, but Dungia accused the director of l’Harmattan, the published, of systematically deceiving authors (especially Africans) on the number of works printed and sold. The book had been used by participants of the Conference on National Sovereignty (''Conférence nationale souveraine''). In 1995, Dungia lived under police protection in Belgium with his children. In September of that year he accepted a job at a
non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
dealing with people with psychological problems, prisoners and aliens seeking a positive resolution of their immigration status in Belgium. He also published ''The tropical octopus. The instruments of Mobutu'' (''La pieuvre tropicale. Les tentacules de Mobutu''), a lesser success than his first book.


Career under Laurent-Desire Kabila

At the end of September 1996, Mobutu's political regime faced an insurrection in
Kivu Kivu was the name for a large "region" in the Democratic Republic of the Congo under the rule of Mobutu Sese Seko that bordered Lake Kivu. It included three "Sub-Regions" ("Sous-Régions" in French): Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu and Maniema, correspondin ...
Province. Rebel troops supported by
Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
and
Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
marched on Kinshasa. After the fall of Kisangani on 15 March 1997, businessman Jeannot Bemba Saolona and Ambassador Pelendo charge Dungia with the mission to deliver in
Goma Goma is the capital of North Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located on the northern shore of Lake Kivu, next to the Rwandan city of Gisenyi. The lake and the two cities are in the Albertine Rift, the weste ...
a message from the Ngbaka people to the leader of the rebellion Laurent Kabila, speaking on the behalf of the Ngbaka community. In April 1997, Dungia was tentatively assigned as a diplomatic adviser to the Cabinet of Dr. Bizima Karaha who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs. With the overthrow of the Mobutu government on 17 May 1997, the new president Laurent Kabila appoints Dungia Goodwill Ambassador. He subsequently goes on mission to
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
to meet with President
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 â€“ 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
. Upon his return, Dungia was appointed Chief of the diplomatic mission in
Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...
, following the arrest of its former head shortly before the trip to South Africa. Dungia was appointed ambassador to
Bangui Bangui () (or Bangî in Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a French outpost in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Ubangi ...
in July 1998, with jurisdiction over the
Republic of Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...
and
Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...
. According to his own reports, he was deeply mistrusted by the DRC government and faced harassment. Citing a lack of accreditation document as Ambassador of the
DRC The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
, Dungia returns to Kinshasa after two days in Chad as the Central African authorities refuse to receive him. In 1999, Laurent Kabila decided that Dungia should return to South Africa, but the South African authorities did not respond to DRC's request for the accreditation of its Ambassador. In May 2000, Kabila appointed him as his Special Adviser to Georges Leta, the deputy assistant chief of the National Intelligence Agency. However, after Nelly Ntwite, the President's private secretary, fed false information that Dungia was supposedly an agent of Ngbaka rebel
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 of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, vice-presidents in the transitional government of the Democrat ...
, Dungia was placed under surveillance by Kabila until his assassination on 16 January 2001.


Arrest and 2nd exile

On 19 February 2001, Dungia was arrested by the security department of the Presidential Guard on allegations of being involved in a plot to overthrow the new president Joseph Kabila. Eleven officers of the
Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: Forces armées de la république démocratique du Congo ARDC is the state organisation responsible for defending the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The FARDC was rebuilt pa ...
. He was transferred to Makala prison. On 13 September 2001, Dungia is "acquitted" by the Military Court due to international pressure. With the assistance of the Voice of the voiceless (''Voix des sans-voix''), one of the non-governmental organizations that had supported the cause of the prisoners unjustly accused in the trial, Dungia attempted to make the ireegularities in the trial public, but the event was prohibited under threat by the Military Court. Dungia instead published the text of his statement in the paper ''La Tempête des Tropiques'' on 28 September 2001. The Congolese government tried to abduct him one night in the Protestant Center where he had settled with his wife upon his release from prison. In April 2002, he fled with his wife to
Brazzaville Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLI ...
.


Career under Joseph Kabila

On 21 July 2003, Dungia returned to DRC at the invitation of Vice-President Azarias Ruberwa, president of the former rebel movement, the Congolese Rally for Democracy (''Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie''). Dungia subsequently joined Azarias Ruberwa’ Cabinet in 2004. In 2005, Emmanuel Dungia was appointed Ambassador to the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
but died of cancer in a hospital in Brussels before he taking office. He was replaced by Corneille Yambu-a-Ngoyi"Credentials - Congo, The Democratic Republic of the"
/ref> in August 2006.


Personal life


Family background

Emmanuel Dungia was born Emmanuel ''Dedetemo''. ''De de te mo'' translates literally into Ngbaka by ''doing to yourself''. Figuratively, one interpretation would be: ''Take care of yourself without letting anyone influence you''. The name ''DUNGIA'' comes from ''NDUNGIA'', from which the "N" letter was removed in 1957 when changes to make Congolese surnames uniform and legal were implemented by the colonial authority. ''Ndungia'' exists in the Ngbaka tribe, but is not commonly used and its significance is unknown. The Belgian colonial authority procedures were overturned by colonel Mobutu in 1967 when he introduced the concept of ''authentic Congolese nationalism'' or ''authentic Zairian revolution'' whose sole purpose was to erase the colonial history of the country. Emmanuel Dungia was the father of 4 children. In 1998 Dungia married for the second time but his wife would be fatally struck by sudden illness in November 2004, a few months after their return from Brazzaville.


Health and death

During his stay in South Africa between 1997 and 1998 Dungia was diagnosed with cancer that might have developed as early as 1995. It was thought to be a benign cancer that could be treated successfully. Without treatment he was expected to live only another 5 years. Dungia had aversion, if not an extreme fright of hospitals and especially surgical rooms, and could not stand the sight of blood. As a consequence, he failed to follow his treatment as advised until 2005 when he was forced to return to Brussels for medical care that ultimately proved unsuccessful. He died on 1 February 2006.


Notes and references


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dungia, Emmanuel 1948 births 2006 deaths People from Sud-Ubangi Zaire Politics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo politicians Democratic Republic of the Congo diplomats Ambassadors of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to South Africa Ambassadors of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Republic of the Congo Université catholique de Louvain alumni Lovanium University alumni 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo people