Pascal Lissouba facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pascal Lissouba
Lissouba in 1995
6th President of the Republic of Congo
In office 31 August 1992 – 25 October 1997
Prime Minister	André Milongo Stéphane Maurice Bongho-Nouarra Claude Antoine Dacosta Joachim Yhombi-Opango Charles David Ganao
Preceded by	Denis Sassou Nguesso
Succeeded by	Denis Sassou Nguesso
Prime Minister of the Republic of Congo
In office 24 December 1963 – 15 April 1966
Preceded by	Alphonse Massamba-Débat
Succeeded by	Ambroise Noumazalaye
Personal details
Born	(1931-11-15)15 November 1931 Tsinguidi, French Congo, French Equatorial Africa
Died	24 August 2020(2020-08-24) (aged 88) Perpignan, France
Political party	Pan-African Union for Social Democracy
Other political affiliations	National Movement of the Revolution
Spouses	Annette Chantegreil (?–?) Jocelyne Rosdam (?–2020; his death)
Alma mater	University of Paris

Pascal Lissouba (born 15 November 1931 – died 24 August 2020) was an important politician from the Republic of the Congo. He became the first president of the Congo to be chosen by the people in a fair election. He was president from August 1992 to October 1997. Later, he was removed from power by Denis Sassou Nguesso during a civil war in 1997.

Early Life and Education

Pascal Lissouba was born in Tsinguidi, a place in the southwest of Congo. His parents were from the Bandjabi group. He went to primary school in towns called Mossendjo and Boko.

He started his high school studies in Brazzaville, the capital city. Then, he moved to France to study at the Lycée Félix Faure in Nice from 1948 to 1952. There, he earned his baccalaureate, which is a diploma you get after finishing high school in France.

Lissouba then studied Agronomy, which is the science of soil and crop production. He studied at the École Supérieure d'Agriculture in Tunis, Tunisia. In 1956, he earned a diploma in agricultural engineering. He continued his studies at the University of Paris from 1958 to 1961. He earned a special degree called a doctoral degree in Biology. He also worked as a trainee at important research centers in Paris.

Political Journey and Leadership

Pascal Lissouba started his career as a civil servant in 1962. He worked as a manager in the Department of Agriculture. His skills quickly helped him rise in government.

Becoming a Minister and Prime Minister

In 1963, he became the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Water, and Forestry. He held this position until 1966. During this time, he also became the Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo. He served as Prime Minister from 1963 to 1966 under President Alphonse Massamba-Débat.

After that, he was appointed as a Minister for Planning, and then again for Agriculture. However, he was later removed from the government.

Life as a Professor and Exile

From 1966 to 1971, Lissouba became a professor of genetics at the University of Brazzaville. He also became the director of the Ecole Supérieure des Sciences in 1970.

In 1977, he was accused of being involved in a serious event and was arrested. He was sentenced to a long time in prison. However, he was released in 1979. After his release, he had to live outside of Congo, in France, from 1979 to 1990. While in France, he continued his work as a genetics professor at the University of Paris. He also worked for UNESCO, an important international organization.

Becoming President of Congo

In 1991, the President at the time, Denis Sassou Nguesso, allowed Congo to become more democratic. This meant people could vote for their leaders. Pascal Lissouba returned to Congo in February 1992.

He ran for president in the August 1992 elections. He was the leader of a political party called the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy (UPADS). Lissouba won 36% of the votes in the first round. In the final vote, he won with 61% of the votes. This made him the first democratically elected President of the Republic of the Congo.

Challenges and Civil War

After Lissouba became president, the country faced some challenges. Soon after the election, some groups who were against him and their armed groups said that the elections were not fair.

Early Conflicts and Peace Efforts

A big civil war was avoided when other countries like Gabon and the Organisation of African Unity stepped in to help. But even with their help, there were still small fights happening until January 1995.

The 1997 Civil War

More serious fighting started again in June 1997. President Lissouba's forces clashed with armed groups loyal to former President Denis Sassou Nguesso in Brazzaville. Lissouba accused Sassou Nguesso of trying to take over the government. However, Sassou Nguesso managed to escape and fight back.

This led to a four-month-long civil war. The fighting caused a lot of damage to Brazzaville, the capital city. In October 1997, troops from Angola joined the fight on Sassou Nguesso's side. Most of Brazzaville was taken by Sassou Nguesso's forces and Angolan troops on October 14, 1997. Lissouba had to leave the country.

Within two days, Sassou Nguesso's forces controlled the capital. The city of Pointe-Noire also fell without much fighting. Sassou Nguesso then declared himself President on October 25, 1997. However, some armed groups loyal to Lissouba continued to fight using guerrilla tactics. The important Congo-Ocean Railway was cut off. Brazzaville was badly damaged before a peace agreement was made in December 1999.

Life in Exile

After he was removed from power, Pascal Lissouba lived outside of Congo, first in London. He had planned to return to Congo for the elections in 2002.

However, in December 2001, he was put on trial in Brazzaville while he was not there. He was accused of serious wrongdoing and misusing money related to an oil deal. He was sentenced to a long time of forced labor. Since 2004, he lived in Paris, France, still in exile.

Personal Life

Pascal Lissouba was married to Annette Chantegreil and later to Jocelyne Rosdam. He had eleven children. His oldest daughter, Mireille Lissouba, worked for him from 1993 to 1996. His younger daughter, Danielle Bineka, is a university professor and writer. Both of his daughters currently live in Canada. His mother, Marie Bouanga, passed away in 1996.

Death

Pascal Lissouba died in Perpignan, France, on August 24, 2020. He was 88 years old. He passed away due to health problems related to Alzheimer's disease.

See also

• Republic of the Congo Civil War
• Pan-African Union for Social Democracy