François Olenga is an

Army General Army general is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System.　 In countries that adopt the general officer four rank system, it is rank of general commanding an army in the field, but in coun ...

of the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

of the

Democratic Republic of the 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 ...

(FARDC) and was one of its highest-ranking members along with Didier Etumba, the

Chief of General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces ( militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Af ...

. He and Etumba both retired in July 2018, although they remain as military advisors to the head of state.

Biography

He joined the AFDL in 1996, and was made Inspector-General of the FAC in July 2005. Promoted Lieutenant-General on 13 June 2007 and retained the position of FARDC Inspector-General. Suspended after an assassination at his residence in April 2008. In June 2012, he was appointed as Chief of Staff of Land Forces. He was promoted to army general by 2014 and was replaced as Land Forces chief of staff, becoming the head of 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, Presi ...

's "''Maison Militaire''" (Military Household).Wondo, Jean-Jacques (27 May 2018)
Awkwardly sanctioned by the United States, François Olenga a general fallen out of favor – JJ Wondo
Desc-wondo.org. Retrieved 20 August 2018. After two years as commander of land forces, Olenga was instead appointed as head of the Military Household of President

in September 2014. Having a family connection to revolutionary leader Patrice Lubumba, he is regarded as one of the nationalistic and patriotic generals of the FARDC, and is credited with the successful offensive against the

M23 rebellion The M23 rebellion was an armed conflict in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), that occurred between the March 23 Movement and government forces. The rebellion was part of continued fighting in the region after the formal end o ...

in 2013 that ended in a government victory. Olenga also threatened to personally execute traitors. For these reasons, Olenga was very popular with the troops under his command. In 2017 Olenga was sanctioned by the United States for human rights violations, as part of U.S. pressure on President Kabila to step down make sure the overdue general elections are held. In July 2018, Olenga retired from the military, but has the status of advisor to the President.Fardc: Joseph Kabila names Lieutenant-General Celestin Mbala Munsense General Staff
. Digitalcongo.net, 16 July 2018.

References

External links

Sud-Kivu : le nouveau commandant des forces terrestres appelle les FARDC à la discipline
Radio Okapi (2012-11-26). Retrieved on 2013-09-04. {{DEFAULTSORT:Olenga, Francois Democratic Republic of the Congo military personnel Living people University of Paris alumni People from Maniema People of the M23 rebellion Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo people