Joseph Kabila is the son of Congolese rebel leader Laurent Kabila. He was born on 4th June 1971 in a small province in Eastern Congo. When Kabila was born, his father was experiencing a low point in his military and political career.
He attended a primary school organized by his father’s rebel forces. Later, he moved to Tanzania, where he completed his primary and secondary education. His father was an enemy to Mobutu Seko, a prominent politician in Zaire. As a result, Kabila had to pose as a Tanzanian to avoid being identified by intelligence agents. Since he had some Tanzanian roots, this was not too difficult.
Military Career
After graduating from High School, Kabila followed the military curriculum in Tanzania. Afterward, he attended Makerere University in Uganda. In October 1996, his father, Laurent Kabila, launched a campaign in Zaire to forcefully remove Mobutu from office. Joseph Kabila then rose to become a commander of a unit that included child soldiers. The group was known as “Kadogos.” He played a major role in battles on the road to Kinshasa. He was also present when Kisangani, the third-largest city in Congo, was liberated.
Joseph Kabila later traveled abroad for further training in China at the PLA National Defense University. He was one of the main military leaders giving orders to government troops in the Second Congo War that ended in 2003.
Presidency
Joseph Kabila became President in January 2001, after his father was assassinated. When he rose to the Presidency, he was deemed too young as he was only 29. His first agenda on assuming power was to put an end to the ongoing Civil War. He negotiated peace agreements with rebel forces in an attempt to broker a deal.
A peace agreement was signed in 2002 in South Africa, which ended the Second Congo War. Following the peace agreement, an interim administration was set up. Joseph Kabila led the administration, and leaders of the two main rebel groups became vice-presidents. In March 2004, there was a failed coup by members of the former guard of ex-president Mobutu. In June 2004, another military coup attempt was foiled.
In December 2005, a new constitution was approved. The Presidential election took place on 30th July 2006, and Kabila was declared the winner. He was inaugurated on 6th December 2006.
Extension of Tenure
According to the constitution of Congo, President Kabila was not permitted to serve more than two terms. Kabila’s term was due to end in December 2016. Elections were initially slated for November 2016. However, the nation’s electoral commission reversed that decision citing the need for a census before elections could be held. In September 2016, protesters demonstrated their displeasure in Kabila’s decision to hold on to power beyond the terms stated in the constitution. This led to the death of 17 protesters. In February 2018, the internal affairs ministry in Botswana advised Kabila to leave the Presidency as his continued stay would worsen the humanitarian condition in Congo.
Eventually, the election was held in December 2018. The opposition party candidate Felix Tshisekedi won the election. During his tenure, Joseph Kabila faced wars in Eastern Congo and rebel forces. Neighboring governments backed the rebel forces.
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