Barthélémy Bisengimana Rwema (born 12 May 1935) was a

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

an official who served as head of the Bureau of the President under Mobutu Sese Seko from May 1969 to February 1977.Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, 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 ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, 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 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 Bukavu is a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), lying at the extreme south-western edge of Lak ...

in Rwanda, in 1961 Bisengimana was the first graduate with a degree in electrical engineering from

Lovanium University Lovanium University (french: Université Lovanium) was a Catholic Jesuit 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 indep ...

in Kinshasa. Bisengima's aided many Congolese 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 or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

and South Kivu to acquire land and start lucrative businesses. Andre Kalinda, a chief of the Hunde and territorial administrator of Masisi, 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 (MPR) to pass a citizenship decree in which everyone originating from "Ruanda-Urundi" and residing in then-

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 ...

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

Kisangani Kisangani (formerly Stanleyville or Stanleystad) is the capital of Tshopo province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the fifth most populous urban area in the country, with an estimated population of 1,312,000 in 2021, and the larg ...

.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.

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* * 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