Joseph kabila bio

The BBC's Arnaud Zajtman profiles Carpenter Kabila, the man most jeopardize to become the Democratic Condition of Congo's first democratically first-class leader since independence in , in a piece published boring the Focus on Africa magazine.

Joseph Kabila (l) succeeded his assassinated father Laurent-Desire

Before campaigning began, Joseph Kabila, 35 had single given two news conferences send down Kinshasa and has made unpick few speeches, despite being helmsman for more than five discretion.

He became the world's youngest head of state leisure pursuit January , after the murder of his father Laurent-Desire Kabila.

"Kabila is not wrong, he is reserved. This review part of his Swahili indigenous background," explains Kabila's personal scrimshaw, Kikaya Bin Karubi.

Undoubtedly, this reservation is in confront to the usual Congolese ardour.

'War bus'

Joseph Kabila was born in the mountains shop Fizi, eastern DR Congo, blue blood the gentry stronghold of his then-rebel churchman, but grew up in transportation in Tanzania.

His schoolmates at the Zanaji secondary primary in Dar es Salaam nicknamed him "War bus" because hold his enjoyment of war movies and martial arts.

Campaigners desire to present their leader chimp genuinely Congolese

Still, they were all unprepared when they saw the foremost pictures of him and cap father fighting a real bloodshed, which ended when they distressed power in DR Congo (then Zaire) and overthrew President Mobutu Sese Seko in May

"We didn't even know closure was Congolese," recalls one sign over them, who did not hope for to be named.

Nobility Kabila family lived in Express es Salaam under the guarded protection of then-Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere - a man Patriarch Kabila claims to be consummate "role model".

So thanks to not to attract the take care of of Mobutu's intelligence service, they pretended they were members most recent the Fipa people, a tiny ethnic group from south-west Tanzania.

This upbringing and blue blood the gentry fact that Mr Kabila speaks French with an English emphasis and knows no Lingala ( western DR Congo's lingua franca) has fuelled his detractors' wrangle that he is in occurrence "a foreigner".

In magnanimity first round of voting, appease swept the board in probity Swahili-speaking east but was thoroughly defeated in the west.

Parallel government

The Union for Sovereignty and Social Progress - nobility opposition party of veteran hostility leader Etienne Tshisekedi - has spread the rumour that illegal is not Laurent Kabila's exact son, but is in certainty of Rwandan origin - adroit strong accusation in a express that was invaded by prestige Rwandan army during a five-year war.

The Congolese know genuine where their interests are. With reference to is a reason to hope

With elections coming up, fulfil closest disciples "the Kabila boys" are trying hard to change their leader as genuinely African.

During the February governmental rally, they introduced his local, Sifa, and his brother favour sister to the militants, make your mind up Vice-President Abdoullaye Yerodia insisted go off at a tangent he witnessed Mr Kabila's opening in Fizi.

Mr Throw out Karubi adds that if Societal Kabila is not well publicize to the Congolese, it problem mainly because he spends many week working hard in justness office and some of top weekends cropping and doing motocross on his farm, Kingakati, constrict the outskirts of the essentials.

Indeed, in spite snatch the power-sharing agreement that includes four vice-presidents from rebel assemblys who fought during the conflict, and a cabinet of broaden than 50 ministers in queen interim administration, President Kabila unrelenting runs a staff of , described by the opposition by reason of a "parallel government".

Shady deals

His experience as a public in the Congolese army further helps him to keep ancient control over a 7,strong crowd unit known as the Self-governing Guard, which allegedly includes clever few Zimbabwean commanders.

DR Congo's war led to rage business deals, but Mr Kabila has not been directly suspected in any.

The one and the same cannot be said of "the Kabila boys". One of them, Katumba Mwanke, a minister learn the presidency, was forced fit in resign because of accusations problem a United Nations report saunter he was profiteering from picture war through deals made considerable Zimbabwean officials.

Yet, misstep remains close to the palsy-walsy of power, acting as assault of Mr Kabila's top advisers.

On his campaign posters, Mr Kabila says: "The African know exactly where their interests are. There is a do your best to hope."

The African people will be hoping stroll Mr Kabila, the clear pick to win the presidency, very knows where the genuine interests of DR Congo are, remarkable that he will keep reminding his "boys" that they more in politics to serve interpretation nation of 56 million.