Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
	Incumbent; Célestin Mbala; since July 2018
	Ministry of Defence
Reports to	Minister of Defence
Appointer	President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Formation	30 June 1960
First holder	Victor Lundula

This is a list of Chiefs of Staff of the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zaire.

The available information on the following officers is incomplete and sometimes contradictory. In addition to armed forces chiefs of staff, in 1966 Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand Malila was listed as Army Chief of Staff.[1]

Republic of the Congo (1960–71)

No.	Chief of the General Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch	Ref
1	Lundula, VictorMajor General Victor Lundula	November 1960	1961	0–1 years	Land Forces	.
2	Mobutu, Joseph-DésiréLieutenant General Joseph-Désiré Mobutu (1930–1997) [lower-alpha 1]	1961	October 1964	2–3 years	Land Forces	[3]
3	Mulamba, LéonardMajor General Léonard Mulamba (1928–1986) [lower-alpha 2]	October 1964	25 November 1965	1 year, 1 month	Land Forces	.
4	Bobozo, LouisGeneral Louis Bobozo (1915–1982) [lower-alpha 3]	25 November 1965	25 July 1972	6 years, 243 days	Land Forces	[6][7]

Republic of Zaire (1971–97)

Following Mobutu Sese Seko's take over of Republic of the Congo, the country was renamed the Republic of Zaire.

No.	Chief of the General Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch	Ref
1	Moaso, BumbaBrigadier General Bumba Moaso [lower-alpha 4]	25 July 1972	1977	4–5 years	Land Forces	.
2	Malobia, Babia ZangiGénéral de corps d'armée Babia Zangi Malobia [lower-alpha 5]	September 1978	1981	2–3 years	Land Forces	.
3	Boyenge, Mosambaye SingaGénéral d'armée Mosambaye Singa Boyenge (1932–2001)	1981	1985	3–4 years	Land Forces	[9]
4	Aundu, Eluki MongaGénéral de Division Eluki Monga Aundu (born 1941)	1985	October 1987	1–2 years	Land Forces	[9]
5	Wa Botembe, LompondaAdmiral Lomponda Wa Botembe (born 1936)	October 1987	1989	1–2 years	Navy	.
6	ba Embanga, MazembeGénéral d'Armée Mazembe ba Embanga	1989	1991	1–2 years	Land Forces	.
7	Bokungu, Donatien Mahele LiekoGénéral Donatien Mahele Lieko Bokungu (1941–1997)	1991	February 1993	1–2 years	Land Forces	[10]
(4)	Aundu, Eluki MongaGénéral Eluki Monga Aundu (born 1941)	February 1993	20 November 1996	3 years, 9 months	Land Forces	.
(7)	Bokungu, Donatien Mahele LiekoGénéral Donatien Mahele Lieko Bokungu (1941–1997)	20 November 1996	16 May 1997 †	177 days	Land Forces	.

Democratic Republic of the Congo (1997–present)

No.	Chief of Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch	Ref
1	Kabarebe, JamesGeneral James Kabarebe (born 1959)	17 May 1997	16 July 1998	1 year, 60 days	Land Forces	[11]
2	Kifwa, CélestinCélestin Kifwa	16 July 1998	15 August 1998	30 days	Land Forces	[11]
3	Kabila, JosephMajor General Joseph Kabila (born 1971) [lower-alpha 6]	15 August 1998	1999	0–1 years	Land Forces	[13]
4	Lwetcha, SylvestreGeneral Sylvestre Lwetcha (born ?) [lower-alpha 7]	1999	19 August 2003	4 years, 1 month	Land Forces	.
5	Liwanga, BaudouinAdmiral Baudoin Liwanga Mata (born 1950)	19 August 2003	21 June 2004	307 days	Navy	.
6	Sungilanga, KisempiaLieutenant General Kisempia Sungilanga (born ?)	21 June 2004	12 June 2007	2 years, 356 days	Land Forces	[15][16]
7	Kayembe, DieudonnéLieutenant General Dieudonné Kayembe (born 1945)	12 June 2007	17 November 2008	1 year, 158 days	Land Forces	.
8	Etumba, DidierArmy General Didier Etumba (born 1955)	17 November 2008	14 July 2018	9 years, 239 days	Land Forces	[17]
9	Mbala, CélestinLieutenant General Célestin Mbala (born ?)	14 July 2018	Incumbent	2 years, 205 days	Land Forces	[18]

Notes

Promoted major-general 23 January 1961.[2]
Chief of Staff since October 1964, until named Prime Minister after coup of 25 November 1965.[4]
Commandant en chef de l'Armée nationale congolaise. Bobozo was a Major General in 1965 and appears to have been a full General by 1972. Entered the Force Publique on 23 June 1933; after training, joined 3rd Company, 14th Battalion Service Territoriale at Lisala 3 September 1935; promoted Corporal 1 May 1938; promoted Sergeant 19 April 1940, took part in Abyssian Campaign; 1st Sergeant 1947; First Sergeant-Major 1 January 1951. Despatched to Adjutants' School for the Force Publique at Luluabourg, 5 September 1959. Part of 4 Brigade, Thysville, 1960, and became commander of the brigade after 30 June 1960. Promoted in 1961 to Colonel. Tasked with organising units for operations in Katanga; became commander of 4th Groupement, Elisabethville, 1964 and promoted to Major-General.[5] Became C.-in-C. 25 November 1965; retired 25 July 1972.
former commander of the Airborne Division (DITRAC: Division de Troupes Aeromobiles Reinforcee de Choc). From Equateur; Crawford and Young describe him as 'illiterate, but a forceful personality.'[8] One of a number of military leaders who entered the Popular Movement of the Revolution (MPR) Political Bureau in 1975, when the MPR was merged with the state, and in 1975 became one of the eight permanent members of the Political Bureau. Captain General of the Forces Armées Zaïroises.
Former Director-General of the Defence Ministry, and graduate of the Belgian defence academy.[8]
Took control of the army after Celestin Kifwa was removed as Chief of Staff by Laurent-Desire Kabila.[12]
Reappointed 8 March 2001 in accordance with Decree 010/2001.[14]

References

Miami News, 18 June 1966 and Sydney Taylor (ed), The New Africans: A Guide to the Contemporary History of Emergent Africa and its Leaders, Paul Hamlin, London/Reuters, 1967, p.95, 102
Ludo de Witte, 'The Assassination of Lumumba,' Verso, 2001, 127.
Le 3 novembre 1965, il est nommé au grade de Lieutenant-général de l'Armée Nationale Congolaise.' http://www.congolite.ca/biographiemobutu.htm. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
Sydney Taylor, The New Africans, 1967, p.102
Editions Service d'Education d'Information, 'L'Armée nationale congolaise 1960-1970,' Etat-Major General de l'ANC, November 1970, via Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library.
Le Potential, 24 novembre 1965 : le communiqué du coup d'Etat du Lieutenant-général Mobutu. Bobozo was made C-in-C under Mobutu when Mobutu seized power, and it was stated initially that he would act as C-in-C 'while Mobutu was acting as President of the Republic.'
Colonel S.C. Davis, British Military Attache Kinshasa, Report on the Zairean Armed Forces for the Period Apr 1971 – Apr 1972, DA/KIN/76, 5 May 1972, FCO 31/1170, accessed at Public Record Office, Kew
M. Crawford Young and Thomas Turner, The Rise and Decline of the Zairian State, 1985, ISBN 0-299-10110-X, p.265
https://books.google.com/books?id=U47B0mwVU_4C&pg=PA687
Canadian Government Immigration Review Board, Issue Paper: Zaire: The Balance of Power in the Regions Archived 2005-11-26 at the Wayback Machine, April 1997
http://www.congoned.dds.nl, Congo developments XXIV Chronicle: 1 June – 26 August 1998
POLITICS-D.R.CONGO: Rebels Control Power, Kabila Flees Capital
Les chefs d’état-major général successifs de la RDC depuis 1960
Decree 010/2001, Portant Nomination du Chef d'etat-major inter-armées et du chef d'etat-major Q.G. Also Gerard Prunier, 'From Genocide to Continental War: the 'Congolese' Conflict and the Crisis of Contemporary Africa,' Hurst & Co., London, 2009, ISBN 978-1-85065-523-7, p.263 (see also p.230; there is also a confusing reference to General Lwetcha being made FAC chief of staff in September 1999).
http://www.panapress.com/paysindexlat.asp?codepays=eng014&page=81
République Démocratique du Congo : L'armée doit arrêter l'utilisation d'enfants soldats, Bruxelles, 19 avril 2007, Human Rights Watch
Xinhua, . See also U.S. State Department cable on his appointment: http://www.wikileaks.ch/cable/2008/11/08KINSHASA1025.html
Fardc: Joseph Kabila names Lieutenant-General Celestin Mbala Munsense General Staff. Digitalcongo.net, 16 July 2018.

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[3] Promoted major-general 23 January 1961.[2]

[6] Chief of Staff since October 1964, until named Prime Minister after coup of 25 November 1965.[4]

[8] Commandant en chef de l'Armée nationale congolaise. Bobozo was a Major General in 1965 and appears to have been a full General by 1972. Entered the Force Publique on 23 June 1933; after training, joined 3rd Company, 14th Battalion Service Territoriale at Lisala 3 September 1935; promoted Corporal 1 May 1938; promoted Sergeant 19 April 1940, took part in Abyssian Campaign; 1st Sergeant 1947; First Sergeant-Major 1 January 1951. Despatched to Adjutants' School for the Force Publique at Luluabourg, 5 September 1959. Part of 4 Brigade, Thysville, 1960, and became commander of the brigade after 30 June 1960. Promoted in 1961 to Colonel. Tasked with organising units for operations in Katanga; became commander of 4th Groupement, Elisabethville, 1964 and promoted to Major-General.[5] Became C.-in-C. 25 November 1965; retired 25 July 1972.

[12] rmer commander of the Airborne Division (DITRAC: Division de Troupes Aeromobiles Reinforcee de Choc). From Equateur; Crawford and Young describe him as 'illiterate, but a forceful personality.'[8] One of a number of military leaders who entered the Popular Movement of the Revolution (MPR) Political Bureau in 1975, when the MPR was merged with the state, and in 1975 became one of the eight permanent members of the Political Bureau. Captain General of the Forces Armées Zaïroises.

[13] Former Director-General of the Defence Ministry, and graduate of the Belgian defence academy.[8]

[18] Took control of the army after Celestin Kifwa was removed as Chief of Staff by Laurent-Desire Kabila.[12]

[21] Reappointed 8 March 2001 in accordance with Decree 010/2001.[14]

[1] Miami News, 18 June 1966 and Sydney Taylor (ed), The New Africans: A Guide to the Contemporary History of Emergent Africa and its Leaders, Paul Hamlin, London/Reuters, 1967, p.95, 102

[2] Ludo de Witte, 'The Assassination of Lumumba,' Verso, 2001, 127.

[4] Le 3 novembre 1965, il est nommé au grade de Lieutenant-général de l'Armée Nationale Congolaise.' http://www.congolite.ca/biographiemobutu.htm. Retrieved 18 November 2009.

[5] Sydney Taylor, The New Africans, 1967, p.102

[7] Editions Service d'Education d'Information, 'L'Armée nationale congolaise 1960-1970,' Etat-Major General de l'ANC, November 1970, via Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library.

[9] Le Potential, 24 novembre 1965 : le communiqué du coup d'Etat du Lieutenant-général Mobutu. Bobozo was made C-in-C under Mobutu when Mobutu seized power, and it was stated initially that he would act as C-in-C 'while Mobutu was acting as President of the Republic.'

[10] Colonel S.C. Davis, British Military Attache Kinshasa, Report on the Zairean Armed Forces for the Period Apr 1971 – Apr 1972, DA/KIN/76, 5 May 1972, FCO 31/1170, accessed at Public Record Office, Kew

[YTT265-11] M. Crawford Young and Thomas Turner, The Rise and Decline of the Zairian State, 1985, ISBN 0-299-10110-X, p.265

[books.google.com.br-14] ttps://books.google.com/books?id=U47B0mwVU_4C&pg=PA687

[15] Canadian Government Immigration Review Board, Issue Paper: Zaire: The Balance of Power in the Regions Archived 2005-11-26 at the Wayback Machine, April 1997

[congoned.dds.nl-16] ttp://www.congoned.dds.nl, Congo developments XXIV Chronicle: 1 June – 26 August 1998

[17] POLITICS-D.R.CONGO: Rebels Control Power, Kabila Flees Capital

[19] Les chefs d’état-major général successifs de la RDC depuis 1960

[20] Decree 010/2001, Portant Nomination du Chef d'etat-major inter-armées et du chef d'etat-major Q.G. Also Gerard Prunier, 'From Genocide to Continental War: the 'Congolese' Conflict and the Crisis of Contemporary Africa,' Hurst & Co., London, 2009, ISBN 978-1-85065-523-7, p.263 (see also p.230; there is also a confusing reference to General Lwetcha being made FAC chief of staff in September 1999).

[22] ttp://www.panapress.com/paysindexlat.asp?codepays=eng014&page=81

[23] République Démocratique du Congo : L'armée doit arrêter l'utilisation d'enfants soldats, Bruxelles, 19 avril 2007, Human Rights Watch

[24] Xinhua, . See also U.S. State Department cable on his appointment: http://www.wikileaks.ch/cable/2008/11/08KINSHASA1025.html

[25] Fardc: Joseph Kabila names Lieutenant-General Celestin Mbala Munsense General Staff. Digitalcongo.net, 16 July 2018.