Azarias Ruberwa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Azarias Ruberwa
Azarias Ruberwa in 2004
Vice President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
In office June 2003 – 6 December 2006
President	Joseph Kabila
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Minister of State, Minister of Decentralization and Institutional Reforms
In office November 2016 – March 2021
President	Joseph Kabila, Félix Tshisekedi
Prime Minister	Samy Badibanga, Bruno Tshibala, Sylvestre Ilunga
Succeeded by	Daniel Asselo
Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Transportation
In office February 2019 – September 2019
President	Félix Tshisekedi
Prime Minister	Bruno Tshibala
Preceded by	José Makila Sumanda
Minister of State, Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals
In office March 2019 – September 2019
President	Félix Tshisekedi
Prime Minister	Bruno Tshibala
Preceded by	Alexis Thambwe Mwamba
Succeeded by	Célestin Tunda Ya Kasende
Personal details
Born	August 20, 1964 Fizi, Congo-Leopoldville

Azarias Ruberwa Manywa (born August 20, 1964) is an important politician and lawyer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He played a key role during a time of war and peace in his country.

From 2003 to 2006, he served as one of the Vice Presidents in a special government formed after a major conflict. He also led a political group called the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD-G). Ruberwa is part of the Banyamulenge community, who are a group of Tutsi people living in the South Kivu region.

Early Life and Education

Azarias Ruberwa was born on August 20, 1964. His birthplace was a village called Rugezi, located in the highlands of the Fizi area. He belongs to the Banyamulenge community. This group is part of the Tutsi ethnic group. Tutsis are a small minority in the Congo.

Ruberwa spent his younger years in Minembwe, South Kivu. Later, he moved to Katanga Province to finish his high school and college studies. He attended the University of Lubumbashi. There, he earned a law degree. He focused on economics and social law. He graduated with the highest honors.

After finishing university, Ruberwa passed the national bar exam in August 1990. This allowed him to work as a lawyer. He worked for a law firm in Lubumbashi for three years. In 1993, he opened his own law firm. He continued to practice law until a war started in 1996.

Role in Congo's Civil Wars (1996-2003)

When the First Congo War began, Ruberwa and his family had to leave the country. However, in early 1997, Ruberwa decided to join a group called AFDL. He worked as a political analyst and speech writer for them. His goal was to help this group win the war against the leader at the time, Mobutu Sese Seko.

Ruberwa is known for writing the victory speech for Laurent-Désiré Kabila. This speech was given after the city of Lubumbashi was captured. This event was a major turning point in the war. Ruberwa also wrote Kabila's speech for when he became president.

After the war ended, Ruberwa became the Chief of Staff for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He even led a group to Rome for important talks. These talks helped create the International Criminal Court.

The Second Congo War started on August 2, 1998. Ruberwa and other politicians left the government. They formed a new group called the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD). This group was supported by Rwanda. It grew to have many soldiers and controlled about half of the country. Ruberwa first worked in the RCD's foreign relations department. He later became a member of their main committee.

In October 2000, Ruberwa became the Secretary General of the RCD. This made him the main political leader of the group. In this role, he led important peace talks. These included the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement in Zambia. He also led talks at the Sun City Accords in South Africa. Ruberwa became the president of the RCD movement in July 2003. This was after the special transitional government began.

Serving as Vice President (2003-2006)

The Sun City Peace Deal created a power-sharing government. Azarias Ruberwa was named one of the four Vice Presidents. The other Vice Presidents were Jean-Pierre Bemba, Arthur Z'ahidi Ngoma, and Abdoulaye Yerodia Ndombasi. Vice President Ruberwa was in charge of political affairs, defense, and security.

He had many important jobs. He helped write the country's new constitution. He also worked to create one national army. Another big task was to organize the first fair elections in Congo since 1960. He managed to achieve these goals despite many challenges.

The Gatumba Massacre

One very tough decision Ruberwa faced was on August 13, 2004. He had just visited a refugee camp in Gatumba, Burundi. Most of the refugees there were Congolese Tutsi. That night, he learned the camp had been attacked.

The attack was thought to be by a group called the Forces for National Liberation. This group was known for being against Tutsis. Another Congolese group, the Mai-Mai, also seemed to be involved. This attack led to a terrible massacre. At least 166 people died, and 106 were hurt. Some of Ruberwa's own family members were among the victims.

The next day, Ruberwa went back to the camp. He visited the survivors and helped bury those who died. On August 23, he decided to stop his party's involvement in the government for a short time. Many people worried this would break the peace deal. But Ruberwa said it was not a call for war. Instead, he wanted to restart talks. He wanted to make sure Congolese minorities were protected.

The government suspension lasted about a week. Then, South African President Thabo Mbeki came to the DRC. He helped Ruberwa and the government in Kinshasa find a solution. After meeting, Ruberwa's party agreed to rejoin the government. They received new promises for a path to peace.

Life After Government (2006-2016)

In 2006, Ruberwa ran for president. He lost to the current president, Joseph Kabila. After this, Ruberwa decided to step away from politics. He reopened his law practice in Lubumbashi. He also opened two new offices in Kinshasa and Goma.

His law firm works with businesses. They handle company deals, court cases, and international disputes. Their clients include banks, mining companies, and non-profit groups.

Ruberwa also served on the board of Mercy Ships from 2010 to 2019. He continues to serve on other boards. These include The International Leadership Foundation and Congo Family Restoration. He has also given speeches at many events and universities around the world.

Return to DRC Government (2016-2021)

In November 2016, Ruberwa returned to the DRC government. He became the Minister of Decentralization and Institutional Reforms. In this role, he is in charge of making the country's 26 provinces more independent. Many of these provinces were created in 2015. Ruberwa has been praised for helping local officials gain more power. This makes them less dependent on the national government.

Before the 2018 Elections, Ruberwa's party joined a group called the Common Front for Congo (FCC). After the 2018 Democratic Republic of the Congo general election, Ruberwa stayed in government. He also served as Vice Prime Minister and Interim Minister of Transportation. This happened after the previous minister stepped down. Ruberwa also became the Interim Minister of Justice. This was after the former minister left to join the Senate.

The Congolese Constitution says that members of parliament or the senate cannot also be ministers. So, Ruberwa took over these roles temporarily. He even served as Acting Prime Minister for several weeks in 2019. This was when Bruno Tshibala was on medical leave. In September 2019, a new government was formed. Ruberwa was one of the few ministers who kept his job. He remained the Minister of Decentralization and Institutional Reforms.

In March 2021, a new government was formed under Sama Lukonde. At this time, Ruberwa left his ministerial position.

Personal Life

Azarias Ruberwa is married to Chantal Shama. They have three adult children.

Before his 2006 presidential campaign, Ruberwa wrote a book. It is called "Our Vision for the Democratic Republic of Congo: Assessment of an Action, Outline of a Project." A publishing company in Paris, L'Harmattan, published it.

Images for kids

• 

  Azarias Ruberwa in 2004