Étienne Tshisekedi

Étienne Tshisekedi (born December 14, 1932, Luluabourg, Belgian Congo [now Kananga, Democratic Republic of the Congo]—died February 1, 2017, Belgium) was a Congolese opposition leader who founded (1982) the country’s first opposition party and worked against the successive presidents Mobutu Sese Seko, Laurent Kabila, and Joseph Kabila.

When Mobutu seized power in 1965, Tshisekedi was a supporter, and he served in Mobutu’s government. The two clashed frequently, however, and Tshisekedi was arrested and tortured between stints in the cabinet until he placed himself unambiguously in opposition with the founding of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS). In the early 1990s Mobutu, under international pressure, agreed to steps that were intended to lead his country, then called Zaire, to multiparty democracy. One such step was the appointment of Tshisekedi as prime minister. Tshisekedi held that post several times but in each instance for only a few months.

He remained a major opposition figure in 1997 when Laurent Kabila ousted Mobutu and in 2001 when Kabila was assassinated and replaced by his son, Joseph. Tshisekedi ran for president against Kabila in 2011 but lost in a process that was widely viewed as flawed. Tshisekedi and his followers did not accept the results and regarded Tshisekedi as the legitimate president. Under the country’s 2006 constitution, Kabila’s term of office ended in December 2016, and he was not eligible for reelection. Elections did not take place in 2016, however. Tshisekedi, who commanded a large and loyal following, was instrumental in persuading Kabila to agree to a process that would allow elections to take place in 2017, and Tshisekedi had been slated to head an oversight committee tasked with monitoring the carrying out of that agreement.