Alexis Thambwe Mwamba

Who is Alexis Thambwe Mwamba?

Alexis Thambwe Mwamba is a Congolese politician who has been the Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2008.

Born in Longa, Maniema province, Thambwe Mwamba was a Minister of Public Works under the government of Mobutu Sese Seko.

During the Second Congo War, Thambwe Mwamba was a member of the rebel Movement for the Liberation of Congo led by Jean-Pierre Bemba that controlled much of the north of the country. A Belgian magistrate investigated Thambwe Mwamba for money laundering, over payments he allegedly received to finance the war from international trafficking of coltan.

He was Minister of Planning and Reconstruction in the Transitional Government from 2003 to 2006. He was elected as an independent member of the National Assembly for Kindu in the 2006 general election and joined the government under President Joseph Kabila. He was appointed Foreign Minister.

In late August 2009, shots were fired at his house as a threat against testifying in the trial at the International Criminal Court of Bemba.