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 on August 20, 1964, is a well-known politician and lawyer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. During the Second Congo War, he was a leader of a group called the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD-G). After the war, he became one of the Vice Presidents of the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2003 to 2006. He has also been the leader of the RCD-G political party since 2003. He is a member of the Banyamulenge community, who are part of the Tutsi ethnic group in South Kivu.

Early Life and Education

Azarias Ruberwa was born on August 20, 1964. His birthplace was the village of Rugezi, located in the highland area of Fizi territory. This area is in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He belongs to the Banyamulenge community, which is a small part of the Tutsi ethnic group in Congo.

Ruberwa spent his early childhood 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 his law degree, specializing in economics and social law. He graduated with the highest honors.

After finishing university, Ruberwa passed the national bar exam in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo). This allowed him to practice law starting in August 1990. He worked for a law firm in Lubumbashi for three years. In 1993, he opened his own law firm called "Cabinet Azarias Ruberwa Manywa." He continued to practice law in Lubumbashi until the start of the war in 1996.

Role in Congo's Civil Wars

When the First Congo War began in 1996, Ruberwa and his family had to leave the country. However, in early 1997, Ruberwa decided to join the AFDL rebel group. He worked as a political analyst and speechwriter. His goal was to help the group win the war against the country's longtime leader, Mobutu Sese Seko.

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

After the war ended, Ruberwa was appointed Chief of Staff for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bizima Karaha. During this time, he led a group to Rome. They represented the Democratic Republic of Congo in talks that led to the Treaty of Rome. This treaty was important because it created the International Criminal Court.

The Second Congo War started on August 2, 1998. Ruberwa and other Congolese politicians left the government. They formed a new group called the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD). This group was supported by Rwanda and was based in Goma. The RCD grew to have between 30,000 and 40,000 soldiers. They controlled about half of the country.

Ruberwa first worked as Chief of Cabinet for the RCD's foreign relations department. Later, he became a member of the executive committee. He also served as the Deputy Head of the foreign relations department. In October 2000, Ruberwa was appointed RCD Secretary General. This made him the main political leader of the organization. In this role, he was the chief negotiator for the RCD. He took part in important peace talks, including the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement in Zambia and the Sun City Accords in Pretoria, South Africa. Ruberwa became president of the RCD movement after the transitional government started in July 2003.

Vice President of the DRC (2003-2006)

Under the Sun City Peace Deal, a new government was formed to help the country transition to peace. This government shared power. Ruberwa was named one of the Vice Presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Other Vice Presidents included Jean-Pierre Bemba, Arthur Z'ahidi Ngoma, and Abdoulaye Yerodia Ndombasi.

As Vice President, Ruberwa was in charge of political affairs, defense, and security. He had many important tasks. These included:

• Helping to write the country's newest constitution.
• Working to create a single national army.
• Organizing the first fair elections in the country since Congo became independent from Belgium in 1960.

He successfully achieved these goals despite many challenges.

The Gatumba Massacre

One very difficult event for Vice President Ruberwa happened on August 13, 2004. He had just returned to Congo after visiting a refugee camp in Gatumba, Burundi. Most of the refugees there were Congolese Tutsi. That night, Ruberwa learned that the same camp had been attacked.

The attack was believed to be carried out by the Forces for National Liberation. This was a Burundian Hutu rebel group known for being against Tutsis. A Congolese rebel group called the Mai-Mai also seemed to be involved. This terrible event resulted in one of the largest civilian massacres in Burundi's history. At least 166 people died, and 106 more were injured. Some of Ruberwa's own family members were among the victims.

The next day, the Vice President went back to the refugee camp. He visited the survivors and helped bury those who had died. After seeing how severe the situation was, Ruberwa decided on August 23 to stop his party's involvement in the transitional government. Many international observers worried this might threaten the peace deal. However, Ruberwa explained that it was "not a call to go back to war." Instead, he said it was "a call to go back to the negotiating table." He wanted to make sure that Congolese minorities would be protected.

The government's suspension lasted for about a week. Then, South African President Thabo Mbeki came to the DRC. He helped to resolve the conflict between Ruberwa and the Kinshasa government. After meeting with the South African group, Ruberwa and the RCD party decided to end the suspension. They received new promises for a clearer plan for peace.

After Being Vice President (2006-2016)

In the 2006 Democratic Republic of the Congo general election, Ruberwa ran for president. He lost to the current president, Joseph Kabila. After this, Ruberwa decided to take a break from politics. He reopened his law practice in Lubumbashi. He also opened two more offices in Kinshasa and Goma.

His law firm works on business deals, commercial lawsuits, and international disagreements. They also help with lobbying. The firm's clients come from many different areas. These include banking, mining, telecommunications, and non-profit organizations.

Ruberwa was also 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 is also part of The Congolese National Prayer Breakfast Group. He has given speeches at many conferences, seminars, and universities around the world.

Return to Government (2016-2021)

In November 2016, Ruberwa returned to the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He became the Minister of Decentralization and Institutional Reforms. In this role, Ruberwa was in charge of a process called decentralization. This means giving more power and responsibility to local officials in each of the country's 26 provinces. Twenty-one of these provinces were newly created in 2015. Ruberwa was praised for his approach. He focused on empowering provincial and local leaders. This helped them become less dependent on the national government.

Before the 2018 Elections, Ruberwa and his 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 was asked to serve as Vice Prime Minister and Interim Minister of Transportation at the same time. This happened after José Makila Sumanda left to join parliament. Ruberwa also served as the Interim Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals. This was after Alexis Thambwe Mwamba stepped down to become the President of the Senate.

These changes followed Article 108 of the Congolese Constitution. This rule says that members of parliament or the senate cannot also be cabinet ministers. Since both ministers had won seats in the parliamentary elections, they could not continue as ministers. Ruberwa also served as the Acting Prime Minister for several weeks in 2019. This was when Bruno Tshibala was on medical leave. After a new government was formed in September 2019, Ruberwa was one of the few ministers who kept a position. He continued to lead the Ministry of Decentralization and Institutional Reforms.

On January 3, 2020, rumors spread on social media about a bomb at Ruberwa's home. However, the Chief Police Commissioner of Kinshasa, Mr. Kasongo Kisenge Sylvano, quickly said these reports were false. He warned that people were spreading false information to cause trouble. He also said an investigation would start to find those responsible for spreading lies against Ruberwa and other officials.

In 2020, he announced plans for a new community called Lumumbaville. This community is to be built in Sankuru province. In March 2021, he left his government position when a new government was formed under Sama Lukonde.

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 titled "Our Vision for the Democratic Republic of Congo: Assessment of an Action, Outline of a Project." The book was published by L'Harmattan, a publishing company in Paris.