Barthélémy Bisengimana Rwema (born 12 May 1935) was a

Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

an official who served as head of the Bureau of the President under

Mobutu Sese Seko Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa za Banga ( ; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997), often shortened to Mobutu Sese Seko or Mobutu and also known by his initials MSS, was a Congolese politician and military officer ...

from May 1969 to February 1977.

Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja (born 3 February 1944) is a Congolese academic, author, and diplomat. He is a professor of African and Afro-American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he specialises in African and globa ...

, in ''States, Borders and Citizenship: Negotiating Citizenship in Africa'', Annual International Conference, May 19–20, 2004 at the Centre of African Studies,

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, p. 5 Bisengimana was a member of the Tutsi ethnic group whose rise to prominence was largely the result of the complete dependence of the

Banyarwanda The Banyarwanda (, plural; , singular) are a Bantu peoples, Bantu Ethnolinguistic group, ethnolinguistic supraethnicity native to the northern African Great Lakes region, primarily the modern countries of Rwanda and Burundi. The Banyarwanda ar ...

upon the central government for power, which made them reliable supporters.Prunier, 49 A native of

Cyangugu Province Cyangugu Province was one of the 12 former provinces of Rwanda. In 2006, it became part of the Western Province. It bordered Bukavu, a town located in East of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its provincial capital was Cyangugu Cyangugu (former ...

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, in 1961 Bisengimana was the first graduate with a degree in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

from

Lovanium University Lovanium University () was a Catholic university in Kinshasa in the Belgian Congo. The university was established in 1954 on the Kimwenza plateau, near Kinshasa. The university continued to function after independence until it was merged into th ...

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

. Bisengima's aided many Rwandan Tutsis in

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South Kivu South Kivu (; ) is one of Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its capital city, capital is Bukavu. Located within the East African Rift's western branch Albertine Rift, it is ...

to acquire land and start lucrative businesses. Andre Kalinda, a chief of the Hunde and territorial administrator of

Masisi Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi (; born 21 July 1961) is a Motswana politician who served as the fifth president of Botswana from 2018 to 2024. He served as the eighth vice president of Botswana from 12 November 2014 to 1 April 2018. He was a ...

, became the most powerful chief due to his connections with both Bisengimana and the Acogenoki. At his height in 1972, Bisengimana managed to get the Political Bureau of the ruling

Mouvement Populaire de la Révolution The Popular Movement of the Revolution (, abbr. MPR) was the ruling political party in Zaire (known for part of its existence as the Democratic Republic of the Congo). For most of its existence, it was the only legally permitted party in the ...

(MPR) to pass a citizenship decree in which everyone originating from "Ruanda-Urundi" and residing in then-

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on or before January 1950 was automatically granted citizenship. This Law 72-002 amended the MPR's statutes and became referred to as "Article 15".Prunier, 50 When the law, which further allowed the new citizens to claim land rights, went into effect in 1973, a number of Tutsi refugees legally received plantations and ranches that had been previously owned by Belgian settlers. Among these was Bisengimana, who claimed the Osso concession, which contained the largest number of cattle owned by white settlers in

. Bisengimana was dismissed in 1977, followed allegations of getting kickbacks from a textile plant in

Kisangani Kisangani (), formerly Stanleyville (), is the capital of Tshopo, Tshopo Province, located on the Congo River in the eastern part of the central Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the country's fifth-most populous urban a ...

.Lemarchand, 212-213 Following his removal, there was increasing pressure to reverse Article 15, resulting in the passing of Law 81-002 on 29 June 1981.

Footnotes

References

* * 1935 births Living people People from Western Province, Rwanda Tutsi people Rwandan exiles Rwandan refugees Electrical engineers Popular Movement of the Revolution politicians Lovanium University alumni Democratic Republic of the Congo people of Rwandan descent Rwandan emigrants to the Democratic Republic of the Congo 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo people {{DRCongo-politician-stub