Frédéric Kibassa Maliba
Encyclopedia
Frédéric Kibassa Maliba (28 December 1939 - 5 April 2003) was a politician in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC).
Kibassa held the positions of Deputy Minister of Mines and then Minister of Mines in the Laurent-Désiré Kabila
government. He was accused of misappropriating funds in June 2000, while he was Minister of Mines.
in Katanga Province.
He attended primary and secondary schools in his hometown.
He then attended the University of Congo, still in Lubumbashi.
His studies were in preparation for a diplomatic career.
From 1965 until 1966 he was a provincial minister of Education.
He was elected Deputy of Lubumbashi in 1970 and again in 1975.
In 1979 he was appointed State Commissioner for Sports and Leisure.
He was a founding member of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (Union pour la démocratie et le progrès social, UDPS) in 1982, and the party's first President.
While president of the UDPS, in 1987 he joined the government of President Mobutu Sese Seko
.
He was appointed Minister of Youth and Sports.
In 1991 the UDPS split into two factions. The UDPS-Orthodoxe was led by Etienne Tshisekedi
and the UDPS-Legale by Kibassa Maliba.
In October 1991 Kibassa Maliba was serving as chairman of the Union Sacrée de l'Opposition Radicale (USOR), which was formed in 1991 as a coalition of opposition groups that included the UDPS.
In January 1993 troops allegedly from the elite Division spéciale présidentielle made a rocket attack on Kibassa's family home.
His 28-year old son Berthos was killed and other family members injured.
In June 1994 soldiers fired on people gathered in front of Kibassa Maliba's home.
As of 1994 he was still president of USOR and leader of the main opposition UDPS.
, in May 1997 Mobutu fled into exile and Laurent-Désiré Kabila
took power.
Kabila appointed Kibassa Deputy Minister of Mines in November 1997.
At the time, Kibassa was leader of the UDPS/Kibassa.
This was one of the parties recognized by the Kabila government, reportedly in order to reduce the stature of the UDPS/Tshisekedi faction. A spokesman for Tshisekedi's faction accused Kibassa's party of being "a branch of [Kabila's] AFDL/CPP State Party".
In 1998, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) and Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade co-sponsored, under the organisation of Joe Clark
, a visit by Kibassa as DRC Minister of Mines for meetings with mining companies at the PDAC's annual convention in Toronto.
During his Canada mission, Kibassa Maliba was also scheduled to meet with Canadian NGOs at Montreal offices of the Canadian engineering firm SNC Lavalin.
However, this meeting was reportedly canceled by Canada's Foreign Affairs department following protests made by dozens of representatives from a banned Congolese opposition party, the UDPS (Union for Democracy and Social Progress).
Frédéric Kibassa Maliba died from a heart attack in Brussels on 5 April 2003, following a long illness.
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...
(DRC).
Kibassa held the positions of Deputy Minister of Mines and then Minister of Mines in the Laurent-Désiré Kabila
Laurent-Désiré Kabila
Laurent-Désiré Kabila was President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from May 17, 1997, when he overthrew Mobutu Sese Seko, until his assassination by his bodyguards on January 18, 2001...
government. He was accused of misappropriating funds in June 2000, while he was Minister of Mines.
Background
Kibassa was born on 28 December 1939 near LubumbashiLubumbashi
Lubumbashi is the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, second only to the nation's capital Kinshasa, and the hub of the southeastern part of the country. The copper-mining city serves as the capital of the relatively prosperous Katanga Province, lying near the Zambian border...
in Katanga Province.
He attended primary and secondary schools in his hometown.
He then attended the University of Congo, still in Lubumbashi.
His studies were in preparation for a diplomatic career.
From 1965 until 1966 he was a provincial minister of Education.
He was elected Deputy of Lubumbashi in 1970 and again in 1975.
In 1979 he was appointed State Commissioner for Sports and Leisure.
Mobutu regime
In November 1980, Kibassa was among thirteen members of parliament who signed an "open letter to the president of the republic", a ten-point document cataloging corruption and abuse of power in the regime, and calling for legalization of a second political party. The thirteen signatories were arrested and stripped of their parliamentary seats.He was a founding member of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (Union pour la démocratie et le progrès social, UDPS) in 1982, and the party's first President.
While president of the UDPS, in 1987 he joined the government of President Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga , commonly known as Mobutu or Mobutu Sese Seko , born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, was the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 1997...
.
He was appointed Minister of Youth and Sports.
In 1991 the UDPS split into two factions. The UDPS-Orthodoxe was led by Etienne Tshisekedi
Étienne Tshisekedi
Étienne Tshisekedi wa Mulumba is a lawyer, politician, and leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress which is a political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was Prime Minister of the country on three brief occasions: in 1991, 1992–1993, and 1997...
and the UDPS-Legale by Kibassa Maliba.
In October 1991 Kibassa Maliba was serving as chairman of the Union Sacrée de l'Opposition Radicale (USOR), which was formed in 1991 as a coalition of opposition groups that included the UDPS.
In January 1993 troops allegedly from the elite Division spéciale présidentielle made a rocket attack on Kibassa's family home.
His 28-year old son Berthos was killed and other family members injured.
In June 1994 soldiers fired on people gathered in front of Kibassa Maliba's home.
As of 1994 he was still president of USOR and leader of the main opposition UDPS.
Kabila regime
At the end of the First Congo WarFirst Congo War
The First Congo War was a revolution in Zaire that replaced President Mobutu Sésé Seko, a decades-long dictator, with rebel leader Laurent-Désiré Kabila. Destabilization in eastern Zaire that resulted from the Rwandan genocide was the final factor that caused numerous internal and external actors...
, in May 1997 Mobutu fled into exile and Laurent-Désiré Kabila
Laurent-Désiré Kabila
Laurent-Désiré Kabila was President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from May 17, 1997, when he overthrew Mobutu Sese Seko, until his assassination by his bodyguards on January 18, 2001...
took power.
Kabila appointed Kibassa Deputy Minister of Mines in November 1997.
At the time, Kibassa was leader of the UDPS/Kibassa.
This was one of the parties recognized by the Kabila government, reportedly in order to reduce the stature of the UDPS/Tshisekedi faction. A spokesman for Tshisekedi's faction accused Kibassa's party of being "a branch of [Kabila's] AFDL/CPP State Party".
In 1998, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) and Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade co-sponsored, under the organisation of Joe Clark
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
, a visit by Kibassa as DRC Minister of Mines for meetings with mining companies at the PDAC's annual convention in Toronto.
During his Canada mission, Kibassa Maliba was also scheduled to meet with Canadian NGOs at Montreal offices of the Canadian engineering firm SNC Lavalin.
However, this meeting was reportedly canceled by Canada's Foreign Affairs department following protests made by dozens of representatives from a banned Congolese opposition party, the UDPS (Union for Democracy and Social Progress).
Frédéric Kibassa Maliba died from a heart attack in Brussels on 5 April 2003, following a long illness.