Michel Ngakala
Encyclopedia
Michel Ngakala is a Congolese
military officer and politician. He was Commander of the Congolese People's Militia during the 1980s, and he has been the High Commissioner for the Reintegration of Former Combatants, a role that involves the implementation of peace agreements with rebels, since 2001. Ngakala is also a leading member of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT), serving as its Permanent Secretary in charge of Organization.
in 1968. Said to be a cousin of President Denis Sassou Nguesso
, Ngakala was elected to the PCT Central Committee at an extraordinary party congress held on 26–31 March 1979. He was also appointed as Commander of the Congolese People's Militia.
Ngakala was considered part of the "Oyo clan", a group of political and military figures who were natives of Sassou Nguesso's home village, Oyo. Sassou Nguesso placed particular trust in members of the "Oyo clan", and they were given important positions in his regime. At the PCT's Third Ordinary Congress, held on 27–31 July 1984, Ngakala was re-elected to the 75-member PCT Central Committee. Together with Sassou Nguesso, he visited East Germany in May 1985. East Germany, as an ally of Congo-Brazzaville, provided the Congolese People's Militia with training and equipment.
Ngakala was also First Secretary of the Union of Congolese Socialist Youth (UJSC), the PCT's youth organization, for a time. In 1990, he was promoted to the rank of colonel
.
, he and the PCT went into opposition. The controversial May–June 1993 parliamentary election
was followed by an extended round of serious political violence between the government and opposition, and in that environment the various sides formed ethnically-based militias to fight in Brazzaville. Ngakala and General Pierre Oba
created the Cobra militia, which was loyal to Sassou Nguesso. The Cobras were concentrated in the Mpila, Ouenzé
, and Talangaï districts of Brazzaville, and they were allied with the Ninja militia loyal to another opposition leader, Bernard Kolélas
, which was concentrated in the Bacongo district. The army and the Zoulou militia loyal to President Pascal Lissouba
attacked their opponents on 3 November 1993, but were unsuccessful; the competing militias continued to violently dominate the city. An agreement in January 1994 facilitated a gradual return to peace.
On 5 June 1997, a civil war broke out between the government of President Pascal Lissouba
and Sassou Nguesso's Cobra militia. After months of fighting, the Cobras, assisted by Angola
n troops, captured Brazzaville
and Pointe-Noire
on 14–15 October 1997, thereby ousting Lissouba and returning Sassou Nguesso to power.
-based Ninja militia of Pasteur Ntoumi. He met with Ntoumi in the Vinza
district on 16 October 2001, and both sides spoke warmly about peace and cooperation.
On 25 February 2002, Ngakala said that the disarmament and reintegration program was nearly ready to begin and that five regional offices across the country would be opened to facilitate its work. He also observed that the program had received about 3.4 billion CFA francs in funding from the International Development Association
and that the International Organization for Migration
(IOM) had already managed to collect about 1,200 weapons. However, the number of weapons collected by the IOM constituted only a small fraction of the total number of illegal weapons.
The process proved to be difficult and spotty. Frustrated by the lack of progress, Ngakala sharply criticized Ntoumi on 21 March 2002, accusing him of failing to follow through on his commitments and thereby obstructing the peace process. He stressed that Ntoumi could not be allowed to continue controlling the Vinza district indefinitely, as the area was entitled to its parliamentary representation and local government, and he said that Ntoumi should not interpret the government's attempts at peaceful resolution as a sign of weakness. Ngakala's "inflammatory" remarks were followed by a round of renewed fighting between the army and the Ninjas. Shooting subsequently broke out at an April 2002 meeting between Ngakala and about 700 Ninjas in Brazzaville, causing around 80,000 people to flee.
Ngakala retired from the military in 2002. The pace of disarmament and reintegration remained slow in subsequent years. Speaking on 4 June 2004, Ngakala again blamed Ntoumi for delaying the process through his failure to follow through on his commitments.
On 18 December 2004, Ngakala announced that he had rejoined the PCT. In the wake of disappointing results and international disapproval for the reintegration program, Ngalaka presented a revamped program on 9 February 2005. The new program was broader in scope and placed a higher priority on disarmament, which was to be funded by the European Union
.
Ngakala was included on the Directory of the Preparatory Committee for the PCT's Fifth Extraordinary Congress; although not a member of the PCT Political Bureau, he was specially added to the Directory on 31 October 2006, along with a number of others. The congress was held on 22–29 December 2006.
On 17–18 January 2007, Ngakala—acting as the representative of the PCT—met with François Ibovi
, the Minister of Territorial Administration, to discuss preparations for the 2007 parliamentary election
, along with representatives from various other parties. Ngakala played an important role in the PCT's activities during the election period due to his role as the PCT's Permanent Secretary in charge of Organization and Party Life.
The results of the first round of the parliamentary election, held in June 2007, showed the PCT winning half of the seats that were decided in the first round, while PCT allies won many of the other seats. Regarding electoral strategy for the second round, Ngakala said on 4 July 2007 that the PCT was focused on "consultation and consensus" with its allies. While acknowledging that disagreement within the PCT and between the PCT and its allies was common, he said that the party "did not want to stifle enthusiasm". He also said that the election was a stepping stone towards improving the majority's ability to implement Sassou Nguesso's policies.
Following the second round, Ngakala said on 11 August 2007 that the results were good because they gave Sassou Nguesso "a comfortable majority in the National Assembly". He also looked ahead to the 2009 presidential election
, saying that a reorganization of the Presidential Majority was necessary to improve its position for that election. Some PCT candidates argued that they failed to win seats due to their opposition to the "refoundation" of the PCT (a project that was favored by the PCT's top leadership), but Ngakala retorted that no action had been taken to eliminate their candidacies and that they had only lost because they failed to win enough votes. He noted that some opponents of the "refoundation" project had succeeded in winning seats.
At a press conference on 20 September 2007, Ngakala said that Congo-Brazzaville was an example to the world because it had, in spite of the ruinous effects of the civil war, restored peace without international intervention. He also argued that the PCT was firmly committed to dialogue and pluralism and that it had completely broken with the monolithic thinking that characterized single-party rule. According to Ngakala, the PCT's cooperative and pluralistic spirit was reflected in the party's willingness to accept a high level of internal debate as well as its openness to the opposition. He noted that a deputy from the opposition had been allowed to head one of the National Assembly's commissions.
Ngakala was present for a World Bank
meeting on the Multi-Country Demobilization and Reintegration Program that was held in Paris
on 11–13 December 2007. On that occasion, he described Congo-Brazzaville's peace process as a unique achievement. According to Ngalaka, Congo-Brazzaville laid the foundations for peace through a national dialogue and the participation of exiled opposition leaders. He also said that Congo-Brazzaville was alone in managing its own disarmament and reintegration program, and he said that his country was willing to share its experience with other countries in the sub-region.
Ngakala continued to stress the importance of reorganizing the presidential majority and improving its cohesion in the wake of the 2007 parliamentary election. He said in December 2007 that the presidential majority would present joint lists for the 2008 local elections. Some parties in the presidential majority opposed this move, and Ngakala said that they were free to contest the elections on their own if they wished.
The Rally of the Presidential Majority (RMP), a large coalition of parties supporting Sassou Nguesso, was created on 20 December 2007. Ngakala, who was credited with playing a key role in the establishment of the RMP, was designated as the First Vice-President of the RMP's National Coordination.
After the opposition Rally for Democracy and Development
(RDD) extended an offer of dialogue to the PCT on 21 December 2008, Ngakala welcomed the move at a press conference on 9 January 2009. He spoke of the "ideological affinities" between the two parties, saying that "only ideas matter and enable men to transcend their egos". He also took the opportunity to criticize the proliferation of political parties, most of which were ethnically or tribally based, and said that Congolese politics would be more productive if there were only three large parties with specific programs.
Ngakala headed a PCT delegation that met with a delegation from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on 11 June 2010 in Brazzaville. The meeting was intended to strengthen the already warm relationship between the two parties and their respective countries.
At the PCT's Sixth Extraordinary Congress, held in July 2011, Ngakala was elected to the party's 51-member Political Bureau. He was also re-elected to his post as Secretary for Organization, in charge of Party Life. The party leadership was substantially altered at the July 2011 congress; only two previous members of the Permanent Secretariat, including Ngakala, were retained amongst the 12 members of the Secretariat elected at the Sixth Extraordinary Congress.
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...
military officer and politician. He was Commander of the Congolese People's Militia during the 1980s, and he has been the High Commissioner for the Reintegration of Former Combatants, a role that involves the implementation of peace agreements with rebels, since 2001. Ngakala is also a leading member of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT), serving as its Permanent Secretary in charge of Organization.
Military and political career under single-party rule
Ngakala was promoted to the rank of master corporalMaster Corporal
Master Corporal , in the Canadian Forces and the Royal Canadian Army Cadets is an appointment of the rank of Corporal in the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Airforce...
in 1968. Said to be a cousin of President Denis Sassou Nguesso
Denis Sassou Nguesso
Denis Sassou Nguesso is a Congolese politician who has been the President of Congo-Brazzaville since 1997; he was previously President from 1979 to 1992. During his first period as President, he headed the single-party regime of the Congolese Labour Party for 12 years...
, Ngakala was elected to the PCT Central Committee at an extraordinary party congress held on 26–31 March 1979. He was also appointed as Commander of the Congolese People's Militia.
Ngakala was considered part of the "Oyo clan", a group of political and military figures who were natives of Sassou Nguesso's home village, Oyo. Sassou Nguesso placed particular trust in members of the "Oyo clan", and they were given important positions in his regime. At the PCT's Third Ordinary Congress, held on 27–31 July 1984, Ngakala was re-elected to the 75-member PCT Central Committee. Together with Sassou Nguesso, he visited East Germany in May 1985. East Germany, as an ally of Congo-Brazzaville, provided the Congolese People's Militia with training and equipment.
Ngakala was also First Secretary of the Union of Congolese Socialist Youth (UJSC), the PCT's youth organization, for a time. In 1990, he was promoted to the rank of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
.
Events of the 1990s
After Sassou Nguesso was defeated in the August 1992 presidential electionRepublic of the Congo presidential election, 1992
Presidential elections were held in the Republic of the Congo in August 1992, marking the end of the transitional period that began with the February–June 1991 National Conference...
, he and the PCT went into opposition. The controversial May–June 1993 parliamentary election
Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 1993
Parliamentary elections were held in the Republic of the Congo on 2 May 1993, with a second round in several constituencies on 6 June. The result was a victory for the Presidential Tendency coalition, which won 65 of the 125 seats in the National Assembly....
was followed by an extended round of serious political violence between the government and opposition, and in that environment the various sides formed ethnically-based militias to fight in Brazzaville. Ngakala and General Pierre Oba
Pierre Oba
Pierre Oba is a Congolese politician. He has served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville since 1997 and is currently Minister of Mines and Geology. He is also a Général de Brigade of the National Police....
created the Cobra militia, which was loyal to Sassou Nguesso. The Cobras were concentrated in the Mpila, Ouenzé
Ouenze
Ouenzé is one of the arrondissements of Brazzaville, capital of Republic of Congo. It is located in the north of the capital. Brazzaville is divided into seven arrondissements, or districts: Makélékélé , Bacongo , Poto-Poto , Moungali , Ouenzé , Talangaï and Mfilou .There are many sports like...
, and Talangaï districts of Brazzaville, and they were allied with the Ninja militia loyal to another opposition leader, Bernard Kolélas
Bernard Kolélas
Bernard Bakana Kolélas was a Congolese politician and President of the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development...
, which was concentrated in the Bacongo district. The army and the Zoulou militia loyal to President Pascal Lissouba
Pascal Lissouba
Pascal Lissouba was the first democratically elected President of the Republic of the Congo from August 31, 1992 to October 15, 1997. He was overthrown by the current President Denis Sassou Nguesso in the 1997 civil war....
attacked their opponents on 3 November 1993, but were unsuccessful; the competing militias continued to violently dominate the city. An agreement in January 1994 facilitated a gradual return to peace.
On 5 June 1997, a civil war broke out between the government of President Pascal Lissouba
Pascal Lissouba
Pascal Lissouba was the first democratically elected President of the Republic of the Congo from August 31, 1992 to October 15, 1997. He was overthrown by the current President Denis Sassou Nguesso in the 1997 civil war....
and Sassou Nguesso's Cobra militia. After months of fighting, the Cobras, assisted by Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
n troops, captured 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...
and Pointe-Noire
Pointe-Noire
Pointe-Noire is the second largest city in the Republic of the Congo, following the capital of Brazzaville, and an autonomous department since 2004. Before this date it was the capital of the Kouilou region . It is situated on a headland between Pointe-Noire Bay and the Atlantic Ocean...
on 14–15 October 1997, thereby ousting Lissouba and returning Sassou Nguesso to power.
High Commissioner for Reintegration
After a 2001 national peace convention, the office of High Commissioner for the Reintegration of Former Combatants was established through a presidential decree on 10 August 2001, and Ngakala was appointed to the post. His task was to oversee the process of disarming rebels and reintegrating them into civilian life. As High Commissioner for the Reintegration of Former Combatants, Ngakala continued to be closely associated with Pierre Oba, who served in the government as Minister of the Interior. Ngakala's work was focused on the reintegration of rebel fighters from the PoolPool Region
Pool is a department of the Republic of the Congo in the southeastern part of the country. It borders the departments of Bouenza, Lékoumou, and Plateaux, and internationally, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It also surrounds the commune district of the national capital, Brazzaville. The...
-based Ninja militia of Pasteur Ntoumi. He met with Ntoumi in the Vinza
Vinza
The Vinza are an ethnic and linguistic group based in north-western Tanzania. In 1987 the Vinza population was estimated to number 10,000 ....
district on 16 October 2001, and both sides spoke warmly about peace and cooperation.
On 25 February 2002, Ngakala said that the disarmament and reintegration program was nearly ready to begin and that five regional offices across the country would be opened to facilitate its work. He also observed that the program had received about 3.4 billion CFA francs in funding from the International Development Association
International Development Association
The International Development Association , is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. It complements the World Bank's other lending arm — the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development — which serves middle-income countries with capital investment and...
and that the International Organization for Migration
International Organization for Migration
The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization. It was initially established in 1951 as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration to help resettle people displaced by World War II....
(IOM) had already managed to collect about 1,200 weapons. However, the number of weapons collected by the IOM constituted only a small fraction of the total number of illegal weapons.
The process proved to be difficult and spotty. Frustrated by the lack of progress, Ngakala sharply criticized Ntoumi on 21 March 2002, accusing him of failing to follow through on his commitments and thereby obstructing the peace process. He stressed that Ntoumi could not be allowed to continue controlling the Vinza district indefinitely, as the area was entitled to its parliamentary representation and local government, and he said that Ntoumi should not interpret the government's attempts at peaceful resolution as a sign of weakness. Ngakala's "inflammatory" remarks were followed by a round of renewed fighting between the army and the Ninjas. Shooting subsequently broke out at an April 2002 meeting between Ngakala and about 700 Ninjas in Brazzaville, causing around 80,000 people to flee.
Ngakala retired from the military in 2002. The pace of disarmament and reintegration remained slow in subsequent years. Speaking on 4 June 2004, Ngakala again blamed Ntoumi for delaying the process through his failure to follow through on his commitments.
On 18 December 2004, Ngakala announced that he had rejoined the PCT. In the wake of disappointing results and international disapproval for the reintegration program, Ngalaka presented a revamped program on 9 February 2005. The new program was broader in scope and placed a higher priority on disarmament, which was to be funded by the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
Ngakala was included on the Directory of the Preparatory Committee for the PCT's Fifth Extraordinary Congress; although not a member of the PCT Political Bureau, he was specially added to the Directory on 31 October 2006, along with a number of others. The congress was held on 22–29 December 2006.
On 17–18 January 2007, Ngakala—acting as the representative of the PCT—met with François Ibovi
François Ibovi
François Ibovi is Congolese politician. He served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Communication from 1997 to 2002 and as Minister of Territorial Administration from 2002 to 2007...
, the Minister of Territorial Administration, to discuss preparations for the 2007 parliamentary election
Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 2007
A parliamentary election was held in the Republic of the Congo on 24 June 2007, with a second round initially planned for 22 July 2007, but then postponed to 5 August 2007. According to the National Commission of the Organization of the Elections , 1,807 candidates stood in the first round for 137...
, along with representatives from various other parties. Ngakala played an important role in the PCT's activities during the election period due to his role as the PCT's Permanent Secretary in charge of Organization and Party Life.
The results of the first round of the parliamentary election, held in June 2007, showed the PCT winning half of the seats that were decided in the first round, while PCT allies won many of the other seats. Regarding electoral strategy for the second round, Ngakala said on 4 July 2007 that the PCT was focused on "consultation and consensus" with its allies. While acknowledging that disagreement within the PCT and between the PCT and its allies was common, he said that the party "did not want to stifle enthusiasm". He also said that the election was a stepping stone towards improving the majority's ability to implement Sassou Nguesso's policies.
Following the second round, Ngakala said on 11 August 2007 that the results were good because they gave Sassou Nguesso "a comfortable majority in the National Assembly". He also looked ahead to the 2009 presidential election
Republic of the Congo presidential election, 2009
A presidential election was held in the Republic of the Congo on 12 July 2009. Long-time President Denis Sassou Nguesso won another seven-year term with a large majority of the vote, but the election was marked by accusations of irregularities and fraud from the opposition; six opposition...
, saying that a reorganization of the Presidential Majority was necessary to improve its position for that election. Some PCT candidates argued that they failed to win seats due to their opposition to the "refoundation" of the PCT (a project that was favored by the PCT's top leadership), but Ngakala retorted that no action had been taken to eliminate their candidacies and that they had only lost because they failed to win enough votes. He noted that some opponents of the "refoundation" project had succeeded in winning seats.
At a press conference on 20 September 2007, Ngakala said that Congo-Brazzaville was an example to the world because it had, in spite of the ruinous effects of the civil war, restored peace without international intervention. He also argued that the PCT was firmly committed to dialogue and pluralism and that it had completely broken with the monolithic thinking that characterized single-party rule. According to Ngakala, the PCT's cooperative and pluralistic spirit was reflected in the party's willingness to accept a high level of internal debate as well as its openness to the opposition. He noted that a deputy from the opposition had been allowed to head one of the National Assembly's commissions.
Ngakala was present for a World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
meeting on the Multi-Country Demobilization and Reintegration Program that was held in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on 11–13 December 2007. On that occasion, he described Congo-Brazzaville's peace process as a unique achievement. According to Ngalaka, Congo-Brazzaville laid the foundations for peace through a national dialogue and the participation of exiled opposition leaders. He also said that Congo-Brazzaville was alone in managing its own disarmament and reintegration program, and he said that his country was willing to share its experience with other countries in the sub-region.
Ngakala continued to stress the importance of reorganizing the presidential majority and improving its cohesion in the wake of the 2007 parliamentary election. He said in December 2007 that the presidential majority would present joint lists for the 2008 local elections. Some parties in the presidential majority opposed this move, and Ngakala said that they were free to contest the elections on their own if they wished.
The Rally of the Presidential Majority (RMP), a large coalition of parties supporting Sassou Nguesso, was created on 20 December 2007. Ngakala, who was credited with playing a key role in the establishment of the RMP, was designated as the First Vice-President of the RMP's National Coordination.
After the opposition Rally for Democracy and Development
Rally for Democracy and Development
The Rally for Democracy and Development is a political party in the Republic of the Congo. It has been one of the main participants in a coalition known as the African Socialist Movement-Congolese Progressive Party .The RDD was founded in 1990 under the leadership of former Head of State Joachim...
(RDD) extended an offer of dialogue to the PCT on 21 December 2008, Ngakala welcomed the move at a press conference on 9 January 2009. He spoke of the "ideological affinities" between the two parties, saying that "only ideas matter and enable men to transcend their egos". He also took the opportunity to criticize the proliferation of political parties, most of which were ethnically or tribally based, and said that Congolese politics would be more productive if there were only three large parties with specific programs.
Ngakala headed a PCT delegation that met with a delegation from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on 11 June 2010 in Brazzaville. The meeting was intended to strengthen the already warm relationship between the two parties and their respective countries.
At the PCT's Sixth Extraordinary Congress, held in July 2011, Ngakala was elected to the party's 51-member Political Bureau. He was also re-elected to his post as Secretary for Organization, in charge of Party Life. The party leadership was substantially altered at the July 2011 congress; only two previous members of the Permanent Secretariat, including Ngakala, were retained amongst the 12 members of the Secretariat elected at the Sixth Extraordinary Congress.