HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Rémy Mwamba (1921–1967) was a Congolese politician who twice served as
Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
(then
Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...
). He was also a leading figure of the
Association Générale des Baluba du Katanga Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...
(BALUBAKAT). Mwamba was born in 1921 in Vunga,
Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...
to a Luba family. After completing his education he took up work at the Élisabethville
Parquet Parquet (; French for "a small compartment") is a geometric mosaic of wood pieces used for decorative effect in flooring. Parquet patterns are often entirely geometrical and angular—squares, triangles, lozenges—but may contain curves. T ...
. He later co-founded and became secretary-general of BALUBAKAT. He served in the Collége Exécutive Général transitional government before being elected a senator of the newly independent Republic of the Congo in 1960. Mwamba was subsequently appointed to serve as Minister of Justice in the first government under Prime Minister
Patrice Lumumba Patrice Émery Lumumba ( ; born Isaïe Tasumbu Tawosa; 2 July 192517 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic o ...
. On 5 September he and Lumumba were dismissed by the President. Following harassment by the new authorities, Mwamba fled to Stanleyville and joined a rival regime. Negotiations led to the creation of a new government in August 1961 under
Cyrille Adoula Cyrille Adoula (13 September 1921 – 24 May 1978) was a Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congolese trade unionist and politician. He was the prime minister of the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Republic of the Congo, from 2 August 1961 ...
and he resumed his work as Minister of Justice. Following his dismissal in July 1962, Mwamba joined the parliamentary opposition. He died in 1967.


Early life and entry into politics

Rémy Mwamba was born in 1921 in Vunga,
Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...
. He was a Muluba and a direct descendant of Mutombo Mukulu. He underwent six years of primary education before studying at the Institut Saint-Boniface in Élisabethville for four years, followed by two years of secondary education. Mwamba eventually became chief clerk of the Élisabethville
Parquet Parquet (; French for "a small compartment") is a geometric mosaic of wood pieces used for decorative effect in flooring. Parquet patterns are often entirely geometrical and angular—squares, triangles, lozenges—but may contain curves. T ...
and a member of the council of the Kenya commune. He also co-founded the
Association Générale des Baluba du Katanga Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...
(BALUBAKAT) party in 1957 and became its secretary-general. He was a friend and confidant of BALUBAKAT leader
Jason Sendwe Jason Sendwe (1917 – 19 June 1964) was a Congolese politician and the founder and leader of the General Association of the Baluba of the Katanga (BALUBAKAT) party. He later served as Second Deputy Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of ...
. Mwamba attended the
Belgo-Congolese Round Table Conference The Belgo-Congolese Round Table Conference () was a meeting organized in two partsJoseph Kamanda Kimona-Mbinga"La stabilité du Congo-Kinshasa: enjeux et perspectives"2004 in 1960 in Brussels (January 20 – February 20Réseau documentaire inter ...
of January–February 1960 in
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
as delegate of the BALUBAKAT
cartel A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collaborate with each other as well as agreeing not to compete with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. A cartel is an organization formed by producers ...
. The Congolese delegates accepted the offer of the independence of the "
Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...
" on 30 June 1960 from the Belgian government. Mwamba was appointed to a commission established to determine whether Belgium should retain any powers or official responsibilities in the Congo after 30 June. Ultimately the commission decided that the Congolese state should assume all responsibilities of governance. One of the resolutions adopted at the Round Table called for the establishment of a Collége Exécutive Général (General Executive College), a body composed of six Congolese (one from each province) designed to share power with the Governor-general until independence. Mwamba served in it on behalf of Katanga. In May 1960 Mwamba went to
Brazzaville Brazzaville () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo. Administratively, it is a Departments of the Republic of the Congo, department and a Communes of the Republic of the Congo, commune. Constituting t ...
at the invitation of
Congo-Brazza The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...
President
Fulbert Youlou Fulbert Youlou (19 July 1917 – 6 May 1972) was a Republic of the Congo, Congolese Nationalism, nationalist leader and former Catholic Church, Catholic priest who became the first President of the Republic of the Congo upon its independence in ...
to listen to a proposal for the incorporation of the Republic of the Congo and Congo-Brazza into a larger federation. He unsuccessfully competed for a seat in the
Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...
in the
general elections A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...
that preceded independence. However, on 12 June he was elected as a non-customary member of the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
by the Katangese Provincial Assembly. That month he investigated the legitimacy of the elections in Katanga.


Minister of Justice

Mwamba was appointed to serve as Minister of Justice in the first government of the independent Congo under Prime Minister
Patrice Lumumba Patrice Émery Lumumba ( ; born Isaïe Tasumbu Tawosa; 2 July 192517 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic o ...
. The government was invested by Parliament on 24 June 1960. He competed with Minister of Interior
Christophe Gbenye Christophe Gbenye ( 1927 – 3 February 2015) was a Congolese politician, trade unionist, and rebel who, along with Gaston Soumialot, led the Simba rebellion, an anti-government insurrection in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the C ...
to assert his authority over the Sûreté Nationale (security police) until Lumumba attached the chief of the organisation to his own office. On 5 July the Congolese garrisons in
Léopoldville Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-growing megacities, with an estimated population of 17 million ...
and Thysville mutinied, triggering a domestic crisis. On 8 July the Council of Ministers convened to discuss reorganisation of the army. Several ministers wanted
Joseph-Désiré Mobutu 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 ...
to become the new Commander-in-Chief. Mwamba believed he was too young and suggested Victor Lundula for the role. The ministers eventually compromised, accepting Mwamba's recommendation and making Mobutu the army chief of staff. Three days later Mwamba ordered the
Procureur général In France, a procureur général is a prosecutor at a court of appeal (cour d'appel), at the Court of Cassation (Cour de cassation) or the Court of Audit A Court of Audit or Court of Accounts is a supreme audit institution, i.e. a government inst ...
to launch inquiries into the actions of soldiers against Europeans in the province of Kasai. On 28 July he was made a member of a cabinet committee established to coordinate government actions with those of
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
officials. In early August he went to New York as part of a Congolese delegation to address the
UN Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
. On 5 September President
Joseph Kasa-Vubu Joseph Kasa-Vubu, alternatively Joseph Kasavubu, ( – 24 March 1969) was a Congolese politician who served as the first President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the Republic of the Congo until 1964) from 1960 until 1965. A member of ...
dismissed Lumumba, Mwamba, and several other members of the government from office. The government was paralyzed by the political battle that ensued, and on 14 September, Colonel Mobutu announced a military takeover and the installation of his own administration. Two days later, Lumumba was placed under house arrest. By October, Lumumba's supporters were convinced that few of their goals could be achieved through the new government. In November Mobutu's troops arrested and harassed several of them, including Mwamba.
Antoine Gizenga Antoine Gizenga (5 October 1925 – 24 February 2019) was a Congolese politician and statesman who served as the prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 30 December 2006 to 10 October 2008. He was the secretary-general of the ...
, the former Deputy Prime Minister, fled to Stanleyville to set up a new pro-Lumumba regime. Mwamba attempted to escape to the city with Lumumba and
Pierre Mulele Pierre Mulele (11 August 1929 – 3 or 9 October 1968) was a Congolese rebel active in the Kwilu rebellion of 1964. Mulele had also been minister of education in Patrice Lumumba's cabinet. With the assassination of Lumumba in January 1961 a ...
. At the
Sankuru river The Sankuru River () is a major river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its approximate length of 1,200 km"Sankuru River" in '' The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 10, p. ...
Lumumba was separated from his wife and youngest child and, against Mwamba's and Mulele's advice, went back for them and was arrested. Mwamba and Mulele spent several days in the bush before reaching Stanleyville. Once there the former was made Minister of Justice in Gizenga's government. In January 1961 Lumumba was executed in the secessionist
State of Katanga The State of Katanga (; ), also known as the Republic of Katanga, was a breakaway state that proclaimed its independence from Republic of Congo (Léopoldville), Congo-Léopoldville on 11 July 1960 under Moïse Tshombe, leader of the local CO ...
. His death brought negative opinion of both Katanga and the central government to a climax. Hoping to defuse the situation, the Léopoldville authorities opened serious negotiations with Gizenga's regime. The following month Mwamba toured the declared "Province of Lualaba" in northern Katanga. On 2 August a compromise between the central government and Gizenga's regime resulted in the installation of a new national coalition government under
Cyrille Adoula Cyrille Adoula (13 September 1921 – 24 May 1978) was a Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congolese trade unionist and politician. He was the prime minister of the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Republic of the Congo, from 2 August 1961 ...
. Mwamba returned to his post as Minister of Justice. In late December he accompanied Adoula to Kitona to negotiate with Katangese President
Moïse Tshombe Moïse Kapenda Tshombe (sometimes written Tshombé; 10 November 1919 – 29 June 1969) was a List of people from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congolese businessman and politician. He served as the president of the secessionist State of ...
. In July 1962 Adoula shuffled his cabinet and Mwamba was dismissed.


Later life

Following his removal from the government, Mwamba entered the parliamentary opposition and worked to dislodge Adoula. In 1963 he criticised the creation of Nord-Katanga, a Luba-dominated province split off from the rest of Katanga. Mwamba also called for the BALUBAKAT to revert to the use of one of its earlier names, Parti Progressiste Katangais, to change its ethnic nature and allow it to become a "Pankatangais" party. In March 1964 BALUBAKAT formed a cartel with two other political parties,
CONAKAT The Confederation of Tribal Associations of Katanga (; CONAKAT) was one of the main political parties in the Belgian Congo and was led by the pro-Western regionalist Moïse Tshombe and his interior minister, Godefroid Munongo. It became the rulin ...
and AFEKER, to become the ABC. Mwamba was elected its president in July. He was later arrested, but was released in August 1965 at the instruction of Kasa-Vubu. He died of a heart attack in Kinshasa in 1967 at the age of 45.


Notes


Citations


References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mwamba, Remy 1921 births 1967 deaths People of the Congo Crisis Government ministers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Lumumba Government members People from Sankuru