Étienne Tshisekedi
Étienne Tshisekedi wa Mulumba (born 14 December 1932) is a Congolese politician and the National President of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), a political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was Prime Minister of the country (then Zaire) on three brief occasions during the 1990s: in 1991, 1992–1993, and 1997.
Tshisekedi was born in Luluabourg (now Kananga), Kasai-Occidental in 1932. He obtained a diploma in 1961 at the Lovanium University School of Law in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa). He served in Mobutu's government in various positions throughout the late 1960s and 1970s. He is now the UDPS candidate to the presidential election in November 2011.
Arrests
Between 1979 and 1999, Etienne Tshisekedi experienced arbitrarily arrests, tortures, relegations and residences under strict surveillance. These ill treatments were inflicted to his my wife, children and several political friends as well.
Etienne Tshisekedi is the co-signer of the letter to President Mobutu, denouncing human rights violations in regards to the "KATEKELAY MASSACRES"[1] in EAST KASAI region.
In 1979, he began to protest against the dictatorship and corruption established by Mobutu.
In December 1980, he was thrown in prison for his criticism and the "open letter to the President of the Republic"[2] co-signed with the 13 members of parliament. Their status as members of parliament has been withdrawn.
After his release and the creation of the "Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social" (UDPS) political party (translated as Union for Democracy and Social Progress), he was arrested in 1982 as the co-founder along with the rest of founders of the party.
After a short bail in 1983, he was arrested and relegated in November 1983 to his village of origin with his wife and children.
In 1985, his home village has been criminally torched and he has been relegated to the Isangi territory in the Oriental Province.
In October 1985, he was sentenced to 18 months of prison at Makala in Kinshasa for "outrage to the Head of State".
In June 1986, He was relegated to his village of origin in East Kasai.
In 1987, after a short release, he was molested and arrested after returning from trips from Europe, the United Stated and Canada, for wearing a simple tie.
On 17th January 1988, after a short bail, he was arrested and detained at the central prison of Makala[3] for organising and leading a meeting at the Kasa-Vubu bridge in Kinshasa in commemoration of the 27th anniversary of the assassination of the first Prime Minister of Congo Patrice Emery Lumumba.
On 8th April 1988, after a short release, he was detained and relegated first to Dungu, then to Monga in the Oriental Province.
In 1989, several cases of his detention were recognised to be unlawful by UN Human Rights Committee[4].
After his release from 24 April 1990, he was then arrested, tortured at the residence of Commander Masasu, then Special Counsellor to President Laurent-Désiré Kabila, for his criticism against the dictatorship and human rights violations.
On 12th February 1998, after a release obtained on 27th June 1997, he was arbitrarily arrested by a squad of military agents after being beaten at his own home. He was then secretly detained under Laurent-Désiré Kabila government.
On 13th February 1998, He was relegated to his village of origin, Kabeya Kamwanga in East Kasai province and put under strict surveillance as in the Mobutu regime.
On 1st July 1998, he was freed and secretly returned to his residence in Kinshasa.
Political career
With the country in economic turmoil in the early 1990s, in part due to Mobutu's loss of Western support after the Cold War, Mobutu promised a transition to multiparty democracy. During this time, Etienne Tshisekedi was appointed as Prime Minister on three separate occasions.
The first lasted only one month from 29th September 1991 to 1st November 1991.
The second only seven months from 15th August 1992 to 18th March 1993, where he was elected as Prime Minister by the "Conférence Nationale Souveraine" (CNS), a national forum created to restore political stability of the DRC.
He was prevented from functioning properly by Mobutu. And against resolutions from the CNS, Mobutu removed him from his post of Prime Minister in 5th February 1993.
The third term, while Laurent-Desiré Kabila's rebel forces were marching on Kinshasa, lasted only a week (from 2nd April 1997 to 9th April 1997) and was again ended by Mobutu's lack of cooperation.
A month later, Laurent-Desiré Kabila overthrew Mobutu (see First Congo War). During this time he attempted to negotiate a peace between the government and the rebels. On 2nd August 1998, a second civil war called Second Congo War erupted against Kabila regime, and as in 1996, the insurgency was actively and massively supported by foreign armed forces of Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi; while Kabila received active and massive support from Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Sudan, etc.
On 23rd August 1998, he invited through an earnest, solemn and patriotic appeal, all armed factions to put an end to the war and to prioritise the search of a negotiated political and diplomatic solution to the Congolese crisis.
On 4th September 1998, he addressed a memorandum to the International Community (UN, EU, OAU), President Kabila, and neighbouring countries; explaining that the origin of this second civil war was to be found in the lack of democracy and in the poor governance of the country by the Kabila regime; and that the solution could not but be political and diplomatic, resulting from political negotiations between the representatives of the Kinshasa government, the armed opposition, and the local and non-armed opposition.
As a result of this memorandum, a peace agreement called Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement was signed on 10th July 1999 in LUSAKA between all the parties in conflict. A negotiated political and diplomatic solution was advocated as the essential plan to restore peace and build a new political order in RDC.
On 22nd July 1999, he announced publicly, on behalf of all political and social forces supporting democratic change, the formal acceptance and support of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement, as well as the mediation of Father MATEO of the Catholic community of Sant Egidio of ROME.
In January 2006, he officially ended his two-year boycott of the transitional government under Joseph Kabila regime, and announced that he would participate in the national elections scheduled for 29 April 2006, as well as the preceding polls in March.
Although elections were postponed to 30th July 2006, Etienne Tshisekedi demanded that conditions of democratic, fair and transparent elections to be met and as well as voter registration stations to be partially reopened, in order to allow those who boycotted their registration to be able to be registered and then to receive their election ID cards allowing them to vote.
The "Commission Electorale Indépendante" (CEI) translated as Independent Electoral Commission denied this request, on account that it was too late in the process. Etienne Tshisekedi then reverted to his previous position of boycotting the elections.
The UDPS congress, held from 11th to 14th December 2010, chose Etienne Tshisekedi as the party candidate to the presidential election of 28th November 2011.
Etienne Tshisekedi is determined to win this election as results of Joseph Kabila regime and governance are notoriously negative economic, security and social wise.
As in 2006, he demands democratic, fair and transparent election and denounces the "Commission Electorale Nationale Indépendance" (CENI) translated as Independent National Electoral Commission, for her deliberate lack of transparency in the organisation of voter registration and polls centres.
Letter from Thirteen members of parliament
Etienne Tshisekedi is the co-signer of the "Open letter to the President of the Republic" signed by thirteen members of parliament in December 1980. This act subsequently resulted to their arbitrarily arrest and their status as members of parliament to be withdrawn. He was detained in Kisangani and then moved to Kabeya Kamwanga in the East Kasai Privince.
Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social (UDPS)
Etienne Tshisekedi is the co-founder of the "Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social" political party (translated as Union for Democracy and Social Progress), on 15th February 1985, and presently the national President. The party remains popular with its main goal a non-violent change to democratic rule.