Jean-Pierre Bemba
Born	4 November 1962[1] Bokada, Équateur Province, DRC[1]
Nationality	Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Other names	Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo[1]
Known for	Former Vice President of the DRC; Indicted by the ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity[1]

Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo (born 4 November 1962^[1]) is a politician in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was one of four vice-presidents in the transitional government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 17 July 2003 to December 2006. Bemba also leads the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), a rebel group turned political party. He received the second highest number of votes in the 2006 presidential election. In January 2007 he was elected to the Senate.

He was arrested near Brussels on 24 May 2008 on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.^[2] He is charged with three counts of crimes against humanity and five counts of war crimes.^[3]

Contents [hide] 1 Background 2 Involvement in the Central African Republic 3 Presidential election 4 March 2007 violence 5 Arrest 6 Notes and references 7 External links

[edit] Background

Bemba was born in Bokada, Équateur Province.^[1]
He is one of the richest men in the Congo, with an estimated fortune of
several hundred million dollars. His businesses have included portable
radios, aviation and private television stations. His father, Jeannot
Bemba Saolona, was a businessman who was successful under former Zairien dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, and one of his sisters is married to Mobutu's son Nzanga, who was also a candidate in the 2006 presidential elections.^[4]

[edit] Involvement in the Central African Republic

In 2002, President Ange-Félix Patassé of the Central African Republic
invited the MLC to come to his country and put down a coup attempt.
Human rights activists accused MLC fighters of committing atrocities
against civilians in the course of this conflict.

[edit] Presidential election

Bemba was one of 33 candidates who ran in the Congolese presidential election on 30 July 2006. His main campaign slogan — "One Hundred Percent Congolese" — was widely perceived as an attack on frontrunner President Joseph Kabila.^[5]

During the campaign, he denied allegations of cannibalism, after opponents claimed that he had eaten pygmies during fighting in 2002. "These are lies which have come from the highest levels of government…The pygmies are alive and well" he responded.^[6]

Bemba received substantial support in the western, Lingala-speaking portion of the country, including the capital, Kinshasa.^[7]
Following the vote there was significant tension as to whether the
results would give Kabila a majority of the vote, in which case there
would not be a second round against Bemba, who was perceived as
Kabila's main opponent.^[8] However, according to results announced on 20 August, Kabila won 44% of the vote and Bemba won 20%,^[7] and therefore the two faced each other in a second round, held on October 29. The electoral commission announced the official results on November 15, naming Kabila the winner with 58.05% of the vote; Bemba's supporters have alleged fraud.^[9]

On November 27, 2006,
the Supreme Court of the DRC rejected the fraud charges brought by
Bemba, and confirmed Kabila as the new elected Congolese President.^[10]
A day later, Bemba said that he disagreed with the court's decision,
but that "in the greater national interest and to preserve peace and to
save the country from chaos and violence", he would participate in the
system by leading the political opposition.^[11][12] He did not attend Kabila's swearing-in ceremony on December 6. On December 8, the MLC announced that Bemba would run for a Senate seat from Kinshasa in the January 2007 senatorial election,^[13] and he succeeded in winning a seat.^[14]

[edit] March 2007 violence

A dispute over Bemba's personal guard led to an outbreak of fighting near Bemba's residence in Kinshasa on March 22, 2007.^[15] Bemba's guard did not obey a March 15
deadline to register at a military base in order to be incorporated
into the military, with a spokesperson for Bemba citing concerns about
his security.^[16]
In the fighting, a number of people, including both soldiers and
civilians, were reported killed. Bemba called for a ceasefire and
negotiations and took refuge in the South African embassy.^[17] As fighting continued on March 23, it was announced that a warrant for Bemba's arrest had been issued, accusing him of high treason.^[18][19]
Although Bemba enjoys immunity as a senator, the country's chief
prosecutor said that he would ask parliament to remove it. Bemba blamed
the government for the fighting, said that it sought to kill him, and
said that he would not surrender.^[19] Later on the same day, government forces were reported to have regained control of most of the city.^[20] According to one estimate, up to 600 people were killed in the fighting.^[21]

On March 26,
Kabila said that security could not be guaranteed through negotiation
and referred to the importance of restoring order. He characterized the
dispute as a military one and said that Bemba could not be above the
law; he also claimed that Bemba's guards had tried to take over
Kinshasa. Bemba warned of the potential for dictatorship and said that
he might go into exile due to his security concerns.^[22]
According to Bemba, the fighting had started as a result of an
assassination attempt against him by soldiers who had surrounded his
house.^[23]
Hundreds of fighters loyal to Bemba, both in Kinshasa and the north of
the country, reportedly surrendered following the fighting to be
integrated into the army.^[24]

Late in the month it was reported that Bemba planned to travel to Portugal for treatment of a broken leg; he had already received treatment for his leg there in previous months.^[21] The Portuguese ambassador subsequently said on March 30 that Bemba was expected to go to Portugal for treatment, but was not going into exile there.^[25] The Senate approved the trip, for a period of 60 days, on April 9; Bemba promised to avoid politics while in Portugal.^[26][27] On April 11, Bemba left the South African embassy and was taken to the airport by U.N. MONUC forces, then flown out of the country to Portugal,^[28] along with his wife and children.^[27] On April 12, the attorney general, Tshimanga Mukeba, said that he had requested that the Senate remove Bemba's immunity.^[29]

Following
the outbreak of violence in March, Bemba's party, the MLC, said that it
was being targeted by the government through arrests and intimidation,
and that its headquarters was occupied by government forces.^[30] On April 13, the party suspended its participation in the National Assembly due to what it described as insecurity.^[31] The MLC ended its boycott on April 25.^[32]

In
the first half of June, it was reported that, despite the expiration of
the 60 days he had been allowed by the Senate, Bemba would not return
to DR Congo at that time due to concerns about his safety.^[33]
According to MLC executive secretary Thomas Luhaka, Bemba was medically
in a condition to return and take part in politics again, and Luhaka
called for a political solution that would facilitate his return.
Without the Senate's permission to be absent, he would be subject to
the automatic loss of his seat if absent from over a quarter of Senate
sessions, unless the absences were justified.^[34] On June 15, the Senate extended the period of Bemba's permitted absence until July 31, fulfilling a request from Bemba in a June 12
letter in which he asked for more time. In this letter he expressed a
readiness to return and take part in politics, but also expressed
concerns about his safety.^[35][36]

Bemba met with Louis Michel, the European Commissioner for Development & Humanitarian Aid, on July 13.
According to Michel, Bemba "intends to give the presidential majority
the benefit of the doubt" and would not do or say anything "that could
be taken as an attempt at destabilisation".^[37] He did not return by the deadline on July 31, with a spokesman citing continued security concerns; the Senate was then in recess until September 15,^[38] and Senate President Kengo wa Dondo said that Bemba would not be penalized for being away during this period because the Senate was not in session.^[39] In a statement published on August 1, Bemba said that he wanted to return before September 15.^[40]

It was announced on September 7 that Bemba had met with National Assembly President Vital Kamerhe in Portugal to discuss his potential return.^[41] In November 2007, he visited Belgium and met with Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht on November 5.^[42]

In
a March 2008 interview, one year after the Kinshasa clashes, Bemba said
that he was in "forced exile" and that it seemed the government was
moving towards dictatorship.^[43]

[edit] Arrest

In
March 2003, Central African President Patassé was ousted, and the
government that replaced him pressed charges against Patassé and Bemba
in September 2004. International arrest warrants were issued, but
because the new government was unable to have Bemba arrested, the
matter was referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC). On May 22, 2007, ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo decided to open investigations into crimes committed in the Central African Republic.^[44]
This did not mean that Jean-Pierre Bemba was specifically targeted, but
his indictment was a potential result of the investigation.

On 23 May 2008,
a Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC found that there were reasonable grounds
to believe that Bemba bore individual criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Central African Republic between 25 October 2002 and 15 March 2003, and issued a sealed warrant for his arrest.^[1] He was charged with five counts of war crimes (murder, rape, torture, pillaging, and outrages upon personal dignity) and two counts of crimes against humanity (murder, rape and torture).^[3]

On May 24, 2008, Bemba was arrested near Brussels.^[2][45][46] He was surrendered to the ICC on 3 July 2008 and transferred to its detention centre in the Hague.^[3] He was the first person arrested in connection with the ICC's investigation in the Central African Republic.^[45] The Supreme Court of the Central African Republic had been unable to prosecute cases against Bemba and former CAR President Ange-Felix Patasse.^[47]

The
MLC denounced the arrest and requested that Parliament do likewise; it
also asked that Parliament call on the Belgian government to respect
Bemba's immunity as a Senator under Congolese law. MLC official Delly
Sesanga accused ICC prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo of trying "to interfere
with the internal businesses of Congo", describing such interference as
"unacceptable"; Sesanga also said that, although the prosecution
claimed Bemba was a flight risk, there had been no indication of that.
More than 2,000 supporters of Bemba protested in Kinshasa on May 27, demanding that he be freed.^[48]

Bemba's defense argued that the legal procedures applied to Bemba's case were irregular, but on July 1
a Belgian court rejected this argument, making it possible to transfer
Bemba to the ICC. Bemba's lawyer Aime Kilolo Musamba said that Bemba
had "no fear of the ICC" and was "totally sure of his innocence", but
he also said that Bemba would seek the intervention of the United Nations Security Council
in hopes that it would demand the suspension of his case because he had
"done a lot of work for peace". Meanwhile, MLC official Fyfy Osambia
argued that "the matter has been politicised" and that people "close to
President Kabila" were responsible for the complaint against Bemba. He
said that Bemba should be allowed to go before the ICC without being a
prisoner.^[49]

Following the Belgian court's ruling, Bemba was transferred to the ICC in The Hague on July 3. Musamba stressed that this was an opportunity to prove that Bemba was innocent.^[50] In a hearing on July 4,
Bemba made his first appearance at the ICC, and the beginning of a
hearing dealing with confirmation of the charges against him was set
for November 4. Geraldine Mattioli of Human Rights Watch said on this occasion that she hoped Bemba would additionally be tried for crimes committed in his own country.^[51]

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

• The Prosecutor v Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo — public court records relating to the ICC trial
• Al Jazeera interview with Bemba, August 3, 2007.

[show] v • d • e Candidates in the 2006 Democratic Republic of the Congo presidential election Joseph Kabila • Jean-Pierre Bemba • Antoine Gizenga • Nzanga Mobutu • Oscar Kashala Lukumuenda • Azarias Ruberwa • Pierre Pay-Pay wa Syakasighe • Vincent de Paul Lunda-Bululu • Joseph Olenghankoy Mukundji • Pierre Anatole Matusila Malungenine Kongo • Antipas Mbusa Nyamwisi • Bernard Emmanuel Kabatu Suila • Eugène Diomi Ndongala • Banyingela Kasonga • Jean Marinaque • Alou Bonioma Kalokola • Gérard Kamanda wa Kamanda • Norbert Likulia Bolongo • Roger Lumbala • Guy-Patrice Lumumba • Christophe Mboso N'Kodia Pwanga • Alafuele Mbuyi Kalala • Florentin Mokonda Bonza • Timothée Moleka Nzulama • Justine Mpoyo Kasa-Vubu • Jonas Mukamba Kadiata Nzemba • Paul Joseph Mukungubila Mutombo • Osée Muyima Ndjoko • Arthur Z'ahidi Ngoma • Jacob Niemba Souga • Marie-Thérèse Nlandu Mpolo Nene • Wivine N'Landu Kavidi • Cathérine Marthe Nzuzi wa Mbombo • Hassan Thassinda Uba Thassinda

[hide] v • d • e International Criminal Court (ICC) Organisation Rome Statute · States Parties · Judges Crimes Genocide · War crime · Crime against humanity · Crime of aggression Cases Cases · Complaints · People indicted · Detainees Miscellaneous United States and the ICC · American Service-Members' Protection Act · The ICC and the 2003 invasion of Iraq

Persondata
NAME	Bemba, Jean-Pierre
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Bemba Gombo, Jean-Pierre
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Democratic Republic of the Congo politician
DATE OF BIRTH	4 November 1962
PLACE OF BIRTH	Bokada, Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo
DATE OF DEATH

==========================

Movement for the Liberation of Congo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mouvement pour la Liberation du Congo
Leader	Jean Pierre Bemba
Founded	April 5, 2003 (the armed rebel group of the same, and from whch this party was formed was created in September 1998, during the First Congo War)
Headquarters	6,Avenue du Port, Gombe, Kinshasa
Type	Party
Political Ideology	Nationalism, Populism
International Affiliation
Colours	Blue, Yellow
The 2006 Presidential Election Candidate	Jean Pierre Bemba
Website	MLC CONGO
See also	Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Congolese Politics Congolese Parliament Congolese Government Congolese President Political parties Elections

The Movement for the Liberation of Congo (French: Mouvement pour la Liberation du Congo) is a political party in Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was a rebel group operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo that fought the government throughout the Second Congo War.
It subsequently took part in the transitional government and is now the
main opposition party. It is often referred to by its original French
name Mouvement de Libération du Congo and sometimes Mouvement de Libération Congolais.

During the war, the MLC was backed by the government of Uganda and controlled much of the north of the country, in particular the province of Équateur. It is led by former businessman Jean-Pierre Bemba, who became vice-president following the 2002 peace agreement. The town of Gbadolite is the headquarters of the MLC. The MLC was the primary instrument of Uganda during the war, as the Rally for Congolese Democracy was dominated by Rwanda. As part of the Inter-Congolese dialogue, Brig-Gen Malik Kijege of the MLC was named head of military logistics, while Maj-Gen Dieudonné Amuli Bahigwa
was named head of the navy. Two of the DRC's ten military districts
were also given to the MLC, and Bemba was allowed to appoint and
dismiss the foreign minister of the DRC.

Bemba, as the MLC candidate, came second in the 2006 presidential election, and the party gained 64 out of 500 seats in the parliament – the second highest number for any political party. In the 19 January 2007 Senate elections, the party won 14 out of 108 seats.

Fighting broke out in Kinshasa
in March 2007 between the army and Bemba's guards, who were supposed to
have been integrated into the army but had not been due to what were
said to be concerns about Bemba's security. The army prevailed in the
fighting, and Bemba took refuge in the South African embassy.^[1] On April 8,
the MLC released a statement in which it said that its headquarters had
been occupied by government forces since the fighting and that it was
being persecuted through arbitrary arrests and intimidation.^[2] On April 13, the party suspended its participation in the National Assembly (but not in the Senate)
due to what it described as a "climate of permanent insecurity". This
came shortly after the alleged looting of the home of a MLC member of
parliament by government forces.^[3] On April 21, the party was allowed access to its previously-occupied buildings in the capital, which were found to have been plundered.^[4] On April 25, the party ended its boycott of the National Assembly after Kabila agreed to meet with representatives of the opposition.^[5][6]

Following the killing of Daniel Botethi, a member of the MLC who was serving as Vice-President of the Provincial Assembly of Kinshasa, the MLC announced on July 6, 2008 that it was suspending its participation in the National Assembly, the Senate, and the Provincial Assembly of Kinshasa.^[7] The MLC ended this boycott after a week.^[8]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• President names top officers for unified national military, 20 August 2003
• MLC, Official website

[hide] v • d • e Political parties in Democratic Republic of the Congo Major parliamentary parties Alliance of the Presidential Majority (People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy – Movement for the Liberation of Congo – Unified Lumumbist Party – Social Movement for Renewal – Forces for Renewal – Congolese Rally for Democracy – Coalition of Congolese Democrats – Convention of Christian Democrats – Union of Mobutuist Democrats – Camp of the Fatherland – Federalist Christian Democracy-Convention of Federalists for Christian Democracy – Christian Democrat Party– Union of Federalist Nationalists of Congo) Union for the Nation (Movement for the Liberation of Congo, Union for Congo's Reconstruction, Rally of Congolese Democrats and Nationalists, Convention for the Republic and Democracy) Major boycotting party Union for Democracy and Social Progress Portal:Politics – List of political parties – Politics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo