Major General Jean Claude Kifwa Kambili is a Congolese military officer. Most prominently, he served as the commander of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) troops in the Orientale Province and later in the southeastern DRC, including the Kasaï-Oriental, Kasaï-Occidental, and Katanga provinces.
Jean Claude Kifwa | |
|---|---|
 General Kifwa in 2013 | |
| Birth name | Jean Claude Kifwa Kambili |
| Allegiance |  Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Service | Land Forces |
| Rank |  Major General |
| Commands | Republican Guard 9th Military Region 2nd Defense Zone |
| Battles / wars | |
Biography
editDuring the Second Congo War, Kifwa was the head of Laurent-Désiré Kabila's personal guard.[1] He served as the commander of President Joseph Kabila's Republican Guard until 2007.[citation needed]
As of 2008, he was in charge of the 9th military region, Orientale Province. During his time there, the FARDC had to deal with armed groups that were present in the region and neighbouring countries. The FARDC presence along the borders with the Central African Republic and Sudan was minimal, but under Kifwa the Congolese army drove the Lord's Resistance Army out of DR Congo and back into the Central African Republic.[2][3] Kifwa was also accused of having ties to local Mai Mai militia groups, including those of Paul Sadala.[4]
In September 2014, he was appointed as the commander of the 2nd Defence Zone, which included the provinces of Kasaï-Oriental, Kasaï-Occidental, and Katanga.[5][6]
References
edit- ^ Bakumanya, Bienvenu-Marie (26 May 2017). How Laurent left bitter legacy in DRC. African Independent. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
- ^ DR Congo/Isiro: FARDC General Kifwa sensitizes FARDC and PNC on discipline and human rights. UN Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ReliefWeb. Published 1 February 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
- ^ General: Kony Out of Congo. The Daily Beast. Published 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
- ^ Reshuffle in the Congolese army – cui bono? Archived 5 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Commanders of defense zones and military zones as of September 2014 Archived 10 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "List of general officers appointed to the heads of military units" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2019.