Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
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07KINSHASA407 | 2007-04-06 10:55:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Kinshasa |
VZCZCXRO7088 PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN DE RUEHKI #0407/01 0961055 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 061055Z APR 07 FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5926 INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK |
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000407 |
1. (SBU) Summary: Equateur Governor Jose Makila has formed a government of ten ministers, all members or allies of Jean-Pierre Bemba's Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC). It gives relatively equal representation to all five of Equateur's administrative districts. It does not include, however, anyone aligned with the Alliance for the Presidential Majority (AMP), the pro-Kabila electoral coalition, which has a significant number of elected officials representing Equateur at the national and provincial levels. The arrangement will be an important test of the governing capability of the DRC's political opposition. End summary. 2. (U) Jose Makila, the governor of DRC's northwestern Equateur province, presented his 10-member cabinet March 26 to the provincial assembly, which unanimously approved the appointments. Makila, the sole MLC governor among the DRC's eleven provinces, selected relatively unknown provincial figures, many of whom have never held elected or governmental positions. The selections provide generally equal representation of Equateur's five administrative districts and include one woman. 3. (SBU) All of Makila's cabinet members are members of Bemba's MLC or allied with his Union for the Nation (UfN) political coalition. A review of their resumes reveals that few have significant management experience. Several ministers held low-level positions within the MLC or in ministries "controlled" by the party during the Transitional government. Many others ran as MLC or UfN-aligned candidates for the National and Provincial Assemblies from Equateur, including Minister of Territorial Administration Henri Emenye, Minister of Women and Family Issues Marie-Josee Molebo, and Minister of Plan and Budget Philippe Bolombo, who won his race for a provincial assembly seat from Basankusu. Louis Mbonga, the new Minister of Economy, ran against Makila in the gubernatorial contest. 4. (U) The pro-Kabila AMP coalition is not represented among Makila's ministerial choices. While the MLC and UfN hold the governor's office and a majority in the provincial assembly, there are a sizable number of AMP-aligned officials representing Equateur at the national and provincial levels. Nearly one-third of Equateur's National Assembly delegation is from the AMP, as is the majority of the province's national senators. At least one-third of Equateur's assembly are members of the pro-Kabila PPRD, the Christian Democratic Party of Kabila ally Jose Endundu, or Minister of Agriculture Nzanga Mobutu's UDEMO. 5. (U) Makila did not address the issue of opposition representation in his cabinet when presenting his ministers to the provincial assembly, focusing instead on his legislative priorities. His program, he said, will center on four main themes: repairing roads; maximizing revenue from forest exploitation; promoting technical training; and electrifying the province. The assembly unanimously adopted Makila's program, but assembly President Edmond Mondombo warned little could be achieved without sufficient financial support from Kinshasa and adequate control over the provincial budget. 6. (SBU) Comment: Equateur, the only province fully controlled by the MLC, is an important test case for the DRC's political opposition because it represents an opportunity for the party to prove it can govern better than its AMP counterparts. End comment. 7. (SBU) Biographical information: Henri Emenye Lomboto Ilankankoy, Minister of Territory Administration and Traditional Affairs Emenye, 43, was born in Bokote on June 20, 1963. He holds a degree in physics from the National Teachers Training University in Kinshasa and worked as a researcher for the DRC's national nuclear research institute. He is a signatory of the Sun City Accords as a member of the MLC and worked in the Transitional Ministry of Environment. A former adviser to Vice President Bemba, he ran unsuccessfully for a National Assembly seat in Befale (Equateur). Joachim Agbokuma Bita, Minister of Public Works, Infrastructure, Transport, Property, Urbanism, and Habitat KINSHASA 00000407 002 OF 002 Agbokuma, 59, was born on December 29, 1947. He holds a degree in economics and rural development from the University of Kinshasa. Roland Ngbonza Giba, Minister of Public Works, Infrastructure, Transport, Land, Urbanism and Habitat Ngbonza, 40 was born in Boyawe on September 15, 1966. He studied as an electrical engineer at the National Technical Institute in Kinshasa. An officer with the MLC's provincial branch in Equateur, he founded the local NGO Association for the Training of Orphans (ASSENOD). Philippe Bolombo Is'alokembya, Minister of Plan and Budget Bolombo, 50, holds a doctorate in economics. He is the president of the UfN-aligned Union for a Republican Majority (UMR), and won a provincial assembly seat in October 2006 in Basankusu (Equateur). Louis Mbonga Magalu Engwanda, Minister of Economy, Finance and Commerce Mbonga, 53, was born on July 7, 1953 in Gemena. He holds a degree in economics and worked in several positions in the Transitional Ministries of Plan, Mines, Energy, and Finance. He ran unsuccessfully for governor of Equateur as a member of the UfN-allied Renaissance-Electoral Platform (RPE) coalition. Marie-Josee Molebo Mobulu, Minister of Women and Family, Mines, Hydrocarbons and Energy Molebo, 42, is the only woman in Makila's cabinet. A graduate of Mbandaka's Medical Institute, she is a former nurse and represented the MLC in the Transitional National Assembly. She is a signatory of the Sun City Accords and ran unsuccessfully for an MLC candidate for a National Assembly seat in Equateur. Dominique Mbongi Moolon, Minister of Justice, Human Rights, and Assembly Relations Mbongi, 42, was born on August 4, 1964. He holds a degree in sociology and anthropology from the University of Lubumbashi in Katanga province. A former assistant university professor, he was the administrative chief of Bonwase sector in Gemena territory (Equateur). Bruno Bidamba Senge, Minister of Health, Education, Work and Business Bidamba, 39, was born in October 1967. He holds a medical degree from the University of Kinshasa and worked as a doctor in various Protestant medical clinics in Equateur. Norbert Endoto Mokwele, Minister of Environment, Conservation, Culture and Arts Endoto, 39, was born in Lisala on December 22, 1967. He holds a degree in economics and financial management. He served as honorary federal secretary for communications with the MLC in Kinshasa. Tagart Iseloko Leka, Minister of Information, Youth, Sports and Leisure Iseloko, 50, holds a teaching degree from the National Protestant University in Kinshasa. He worked in several positions in the Transitional Ministers of Budget, Plan and Finance. He served as executive secretary of one of the MLC's local branches in Kinshasa and in other party positions. MEECE |