Eddie Shimwethelini Amkongo (born 1 December 1945 near Ondangwa) is a Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

n civil servant and diplomat. A chief diplomat with SWAPO and later independent Namibia, Amkongo was appointed chairperson of the Public Service Commission in 2006.

Early life and exile

Amkongo studied at Oshigambo High School

Oshigambo High School

Oshigambo High School is a high school in Oshigambo, Oshikoto Region, Namibia. It is situated approximately 30 km east of Ondangwa. Oshigambo High School is surrounded by some of the special features which make it a tourist attraction. The school buildings sandwich a river which flows from...

 in Oshigambo

Oshigambo

Oshigambo is a village in the Oshikoto Region of northern Namibia. It is situated on the banks of Oshigambo River east of the Etosha pan.The village features a secondary school, Oshigambo High School, as well as a primary school.-References:...

, Oshikoto Region

Oshikoto Region

Oshikoto is one of the thirteen regions of Namibia. The northern part of the region is agricultural, whereas the main economic activities in the southern part are cattle rearing and mining...

 in the 1960s and he was found with SWAPO publications and letters from friend Helmut Angula

Helmut Angula

Helmut Kangulohi Angula is a former Namibian Cabinet Minister and businessman. Currently, the Director of various private companies and a long time member of the Central Committee and the Political Bureau of the ruling SWAPO Party .Angula was born in Ontananga, Oshikoto Region, and joined SWAPO in...

 from the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

. He later became a leading organizer for SWAPO in northern Namibia. From 1971-72, Amkongo studied at Turfloop University

University of Limpopo

The University of Limpopo is a university in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2005, by the merger of the University of the North and the Medical University of South Africa...

, a black-only university in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. In June 1974, Amkongo and several SWAPO organisers fled into exile to SWAPO's camp in Oshatotwa, Zambia

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

, where he received military training

People's Liberation Army of Namibia

The People's Liberation Army of Namibia was the active military wing of the South West Africa People's Organization during the Namibian War of Independence. It sought independence for the territory from South African rule. PLAN launched its first attack on the South African military at...

. He also studied at Evelyn Hone College in Lusaka

Lusaka

Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...

 while in exile. He then worked for SWAPO's Voice of Namibia radio station in Zambia then Brazzaville

Brazzaville

-Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo...

, People's Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo

The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...

. He was a key diplomat for SWAPO abroad during the 1980s; he was based in Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

 (1981–85) and France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 (1985–89) and was the chief diplomat for West Africa and much of Western Europe while based there. The late 1980s, Amkongo was one of SWAPO's chief negotiators during the run-up to independence.

Diplomacy and civil service

Following Namibia's independence in 1990, Amkongo became a key civil servant and diplomat in the newly-established government. He served as his country's ambassador to Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

, home of the Organization of African Unity. He also held several key domestic posts, including in the Office of the President and as cabinet secretary

Cabinet of Namibia

The Cabinet of Namibia is an appointed body that was established by the Chapter 6 of the Constitution of Namibia. It is mandated to include the following positions:...

. In 2000, he was sent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...

 as Namibia's top diplomat during the Second Congo War

Second Congo War

The Second Congo War, also known as Coltan War and the Great War of Africa, began in August 1998 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and officially ended in July 2003 when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power; however, hostilities continue to this...

. From 2000-2003, Amkongo was a political advisor to the foreign forces supporting DR Congo's government during the implementation of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement

Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement

The Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement attempted to end the Second Congo War through a ceasefire, release of prisoners of war, and the deployment of an international peacekeeping force under the auspices of the United Nations...

.