Zairean political exiles

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This article is part of a series
about
Mobutu Sese Seko

Early political career

Presidency

During the presidency of

Republic of Zaire
(1965-1997), social and political rights were strongly curtailed. As a consequence, several Congolese/Zairean citizens went into exile for political reasons.

Zairean state

After the

Republic of Zaire, and the 1974 constitution, replacing the 1967 constitution, codified the authoritarian state. It strongly curtailed political rights of Zairean citizens. Furthermore, it established the Popular Movement of the Revolution (MPR) as the embodiment of the Zairean people and the only legally permitted party.[1]

At the start of his time in office, Mobutu set some examples to his political adversaries, showing that the contestation of his reign could have deadly consequences. The final Prime Minister of the

military tribunal
and publicly hanged. Political dissidence was so extremely discouraged that it would take until 1980 to have renewed public political dissidence.

The Union for Democracy and Social Progress

Etienne Tshisekedi wa Mulumba, Joseph Ngalula Mpandajila, and Isidore Kanana Tshiongo a Minanga
, detained by Mobutu.

In 1980, thirteen

Etienne Tshisekedi and Joseph Ngalula, wrote an open letter to Mobutu, stating their concerns with the authoritarian state and the evolution of the MPR after the release of the Manifesto of N'sele.[2][a] Mobutu responded with repressive measures including the arrest for "aggravated treason" and incarceration of the parliamentarians. Marcel Lihau, politician and jurist, testified on their behalf at the ensuing trial. Furthermore, Mobutu underestimated the favourable response of large parts of the population to the open letter. Contrary to the 1974 constitution, the 1967 constitution provided the possibility for a second political party next to the MPR.[3] The thirteen parliamentarians grouped together with other allies such as Lihau to form an illegal second political party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress
.

Notable Zairean political exiles

Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
in 1976

Given the precarious domestic situation for political dissidence, many politically active citizens, politicians, and diplomats went into exile to avoid persecution.

Majorca in a business plane, returning from a trip and possible real estate opportunity, when his plane was hijacked and diverted to Algiers, Algeria.[5] Most likely, the Congolese Ambassador in Brussels, Bernardin Mungul Diaka, asked the kidnapper Francis Bodenan to kidnap Tshombe.[6] Tshombe died two years later under house arrest in El Biar, Algiers
.

Some elite Zairean political exiles were at times part of the Zairean government or diplomatic staff, or exiles advocating and testifying against the Zairean regime.

Congress of the United States in 1981. In 1985, Nguza Karl-i-Bond was made the Zairean Ambassador in the United States
. In 1988, he became Foreign Minister once again, became a member of the opposition after the democratisation process of the early 1990s, and became Prime Minister one final time in 1991.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadruddin Aga Khan intervened at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in favour of Kamitatu's stay. Eventually, Schumann's point prevailed and Kamitatu stayed in France.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Congo Zaïre: Constitution du 15 août 1974". 1974-08-15. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  2. ^ UDPS (1980-11-01). "Lettre ouverte au Citoyen Président-Fondateur du Mouvement Populaire de la Révolution, Président de la République par un groupe de parlementaires" (PDF). Politique africaine (in French). Kinshasa. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  3. ^ "Congo: Constitution du 24 juin 1967". 1967-06-24. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  4. ^ Burlion, Jacques (1969). Moïse Tshombe abandonné. Pierre de Meyere. p. 149.
  5. ^ "Moïse Tshombe on the way to his kidnapping". Life. 1967-07-14.
  6. ^ Diallo, Siradiou; Kabue, Buana (1975-10-24). "Le rapt de Moïse Tshombe: Souvenirs de Francis Bodenan". Jeune Afrique. No. 772. pp. 61–62.
  7. ISBN 9780860361978
    .
  8. ^ "The... Political Risk Yearbook: Sub-Saharan Africa, Part 2". 1988. p. 13. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  9. ISBN 9780253038098
    . Retrieved 2022-03-21.

Notes

  1. ^ Etienne Tshisekedi was one of the authors of the Manifesto.
  2. ^ At the time, the nomenclature for Prime Minister was First State Commissioner
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