Joseph Kabila facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joseph Kabila
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Kabila in 2016
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| 4th President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| In office 17 January 2001 – 24 January 2019 Acting: 17 January 2001 – 26 January 2001 |
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| Prime Minister | Antoine Gizenga Adolphe Muzito Louis Alphonse Koyagialo (acting) Matata Ponyo Mapon Samy Badibanga Bruno Tshibala |
| Vice President (2003-2006) |
Azarias Ruberwa Arthur Z'ahidi Ngoma Abdoulaye Yerodia Ndombasi Jean-Pierre Bemba |
| Preceded by | Laurent-Désiré Kabila |
| Succeeded by | Félix Tshisekedi |
| Senator for life | |
| Assumed office 15 March 2019 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Joseph Kabila Kabange
4 June 1971 Fizi, Congo-Léopoldville (now South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo) |
| Political party | People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy |
| Spouse |
Olive Lembe di Sita
(m. 2006) |
| Alma mater | Makerere University People's Liberation Army National Defense University University of Johannesburg |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  DR Congo |
| Branch/service | Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Rank | Major-general |
Joseph Kabila Kabange (born 4 June 1971) is a politician from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He served as the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from January 2001 to January 2019. He became president after his father, President Laurent-Désiré Kabila, was assassinated during the Second Congo War.
After the war ended in 2003, Joseph Kabila continued as president of the country's new government. He was elected president in 2006 and again in 2011 for a second term. After leaving office in 2019, Kabila became a senator for life, a special role for former presidents.
His time as president was supposed to end in December 2016. However, elections were delayed until 2018. In August 2018, Kabila announced he would not seek another term. Félix Tshisekedi became the next president, marking the country's first peaceful transfer of power since it became independent. During his presidency, Kabila faced ongoing conflicts in eastern Congo and challenges from rebel groups.
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Early life and education
Joseph Kabila Kabange was born on 4 June 1971, along with his twin sister, Jaynet Kabila. Official records state they were born in Hewabora, a small village in the Fizi area of South Kivu province in eastern Congo.
His childhood happened during a difficult time for his father's political and military career. Joseph grew up in a quiet area, and not much is known about his very early days. He went to a primary school set up by his father's rebel group. Later, he moved to Tanzania to finish primary and secondary school. Because his father was an enemy of Mobutu Sese Seko, the ruler of Zaire (now DR Congo), Joseph pretended to be Tanzanian during his school years to stay safe.
Career
Joining the military
After high school, Joseph Kabila received military training in Tanzania and later at Makerere University in Uganda. In October 1996, his father, Laurent-Désiré Kabila, started a campaign in Zaire to remove the Mobutu government. This was known as the First Congo War. Joseph Kabila became a commander in his father's army, the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (AFDL). He likely played an important part in major battles as the army moved towards Kinshasa. He was reportedly present when the city of Kisangani was taken by rebel forces after intense fighting.
After the AFDL won the war and his father became president, Joseph Kabila received more training. He studied at the PLA National Defense University in Beijing, China.
When he returned from China, Kabila was promoted to major-general. In 1998, he was made Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 2000, he became Chief of Staff of the Land Forces. He held this position until his father was assassinated in January 2001. As chief of staff, he was one of the main military leaders during the Second Congo War (1998–2003).
First time as president
Joseph Kabila became president on 26 January 2001, after his father's assassination. He was 29 years old, making him one of the youngest heads of government in the world at that time. He worked to end the ongoing civil war by talking with rebel groups. These groups were supported by Rwanda and Uganda, the same countries that had helped his father's rebel group come to power.
A peace agreement was signed in 2002 in Sun City, South Africa. This agreement officially ended the Second Congo War. It allowed Joseph Kabila to remain president and head of state. A temporary government was set up under him. This government included leaders from the country's main rebel groups as vice-presidents.
In March 2004, there was an attempt to overthrow the government near the capital, Kinshasa. It was reportedly by members of the former guard of ex-president Mobutu Sese Seko, but it failed. In June 2004, other plotters tried to take power and announced on state radio that the government was suspended. However, loyal troops quickly defeated them.
In December 2005, a new constitution was approved by a public vote. A presidential election was then held on 30 July 2006. The new constitution changed the minimum age for presidential candidates from 35 to 30. Kabila turned 35 just before the election. He registered as a candidate in March 2006. Although he ran as an independent, he was the founder of the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), which supported him.
Provisional results announced in August showed Kabila won 45% of the vote. His main opponent, Jean-Pierre Bemba, won 20%. Because no candidate won more than 50%, a second round of voting was held on 29 October. On 15 November, the election commission announced the official results. Kabila was declared the winner with 58.05% of the vote. These results were confirmed by the Supreme Court on 27 November 2006. Kabila was sworn in as the newly elected president on 6 December 2006. He then appointed Antoine Gizenga as prime minister.
Second term as president
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In December 2011, Joseph Kabila was re-elected for a second term as president. After the results were announced, there were protests in Kinshasa and Mbuji-Mayi. Official records showed that many people in these areas had voted for the opposition candidate, Étienne Tshisekedi. Observers from the Carter Center noted that results from many polling stations were missing. They said the election lacked trustworthiness. On 20 December, Kabila was sworn in for his second term. He promised to improve the country's roads and public services. However, Tshisekedi said the election results were not fair.
In January 2012, Catholic bishops in DR Congo also criticized the elections. They spoke of "serious errors" and asked the election commission to fix them.
On 17 January 2015, Congo's parliament passed a law that required a national population count before the next elections. This led to protests starting on 19 January. Students at the University of Kinshasa led these protests. People were upset because the proposed law might allow Kabila to stay in power longer. Elections had been planned for 2016. By 21 January, clashes between police and protesters had caused many deaths.
The Senate responded to the protests by removing the census requirement from the law. In October 2015, Moïse Katumbi announced he would leave the ruling party. This was due to disagreements about the planned election.
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Many people were unhappy with Kabila's leadership. This was partly because of the conflicts in Congo. There were protests against his attempts to change term limits and stay in power. Strong demonstrations happened on 20 April 2016 in Lubumbashi, one of Congo's largest cities.
When Moise Katumbi, a former governor and now an opposition leader, announced he would run for president, his home was surrounded by security forces.
Although Kabila's forces won an important victory against the M23 rebel group in 2013, many other armed groups continued to cause problems. By 2016, new groups had appeared, like militias in the Nyunzu Territory that caused many deaths.
Delayed elections and end of presidency
According to the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a president should not serve more than two terms. On 19 September 2016, large protests took place in Kinshasa. People called for Kabila to step down as required by law. Elections to choose Kabila's successor were originally set for 27 November 2016. However, on 29 September 2016, the country's election authority announced that the election would not happen until early 2018. The election commission's vice president said they could not hold elections because the number of voters was not known. However, opposition groups believed Kabila intentionally delayed the election to stay in power.
In response to the delayed election, the United States placed restrictions on two people close to Kabila in September. These actions were seen as a warning to President Kabila to respect his country's constitution.
More protests were planned as the end of the presidential term approached. Opposition groups warned that delayed elections could lead to civil war.
Kabila's second term as president was due to end on 20 December 2016. A statement from his spokesperson on 19 December 2016 said that Joseph Kabila would remain in office until a new president was in place after elections. These elections would not be held until at least April 2018. Kabila then appointed a new government led by Samy Badibanga as prime minister. This led to protests where many people were killed.
On 23 December, an agreement was proposed between the main opposition group and Kabila's government. Kabila agreed not to change the constitution and to leave office before the end of 2017. Under this agreement, opposition leader Étienne Tshisekedi would oversee the deal, and the country's prime minister would be chosen by the opposition.
In late February 2018, the government of Botswana told Kabila it was time for him to leave office. They said the difficult situation in DR Congo was made worse because its leader had kept delaying elections and had lost control over the country's safety.
On December 30, 2018, the presidential election was held to choose Kabila's successor. Kabila supported Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, his former interior minister. On January 10, 2019, the election commission announced that opposition candidate Félix Tshisekedi had won the vote.
After the presidency
After leaving the presidency, Kabila made Kingakati farm his main home. This estate, located 50 km east of Kinshasa, was his second home while he was president.
In April 2021, President Felix Tshisekedi successfully removed the last remaining government officials who were loyal to former leader Kabila.
In May 2021, Tshisekedi asked for a review of mining contracts that Kabila had signed with China. This included the Sicomines multi-billion dollar 'minerals-for-infrastructure' deal.
Personal life
Joseph Kabila married Olive Lembe di Sita on 1 June 2006. The wedding ceremonies took place on 17 June 2006. Kabila and his wife have a daughter, born in 2001, named Sifa, after Kabila's mother.
Kabila is Protestant, and Lembe di Sita is Catholic. So, their wedding ceremonies included traditions from both churches. They were led by both the Catholic Archbishop of Kinshasa, Cardinal Frederic Etsou Bamungwabi, and Pierre Marini Bodho, who is the head bishop of the Church of Christ in Congo.
In July 2021, Joseph Kabila completed his master's degree. He received his certification from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. He finished his Master's program in Political Science and International Relations through online learning.
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Joseph Kabila para niños
