Alphonse Ilunga or Ilunga Dibwe Luakamanyabo (born 25 December 1931) is a Congolese politician.

Biography

Alphonse Ilunga was born on 25 December 1931 in

Tshikapa Tshikapa is the capital city of Kasaï Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located north of the Angolan border and west of Kananga at the confluence of the Tshikapa and Kasai rivers. According to records published by th ...

, Kasai,

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...

into the Katawa clan of the Lulua. He later worked as a clerk for the Kasai Brewery. In 1958 he was elected to the

Ndesha Ndesha is a commune of the city of Kananga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neig ...

communal council and then subsequently appointed to the Luluabourg city council. His familial relations to the customary chief Kalamba Mangole contributed to his political success. He participated in the

Belgo-Congolese Round Table Conference The Belgo-Congolese Round Table Conference () was a meeting organized in two partsJoseph Kamanda Kimona-Mbinga"La stabilité du Congo-Kinshasa: enjeux et perspectives"2004 in 1960 in Brussels (January 20 – February 20Réseau documentaire inter ...

from January to February 1960 as a delegate for the Parti National du Progrès. Ilunga served as the first Congolese Minister of Public Works under Prime Minister

Patrice Lumumba Patrice Émery Lumumba ( ; born Isaïe Tasumbu Tawosa; 2 July 192517 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic o ...

. Following the dismissal of the Lumumba Government in September, he was made Minister of Art, Culture, and Sports under

Joseph Iléo Joseph Iléo (15 September 1921 – 19 September 1994), subsequently Authenticité (Zaire), Zairianised as Sombo Amba Iléo, was a Congolese politician and was prime minister for two periods. Early life Joseph Iléo was born on 15 Septembe ...

. In February 1961 he returned to his position as Minister of Public Works. Ilunga retained the office under Prime Minister

Cyrille Adoula Cyrille Adoula (13 September 1921 – 24 May 1978) was a Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congolese trade unionist and politician. He was the prime minister of the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Republic of the Congo, from 2 August 1961 ...

until July 1962 when Adoula reshuffled his government and made him Minister of Communications and Transport. In June 1964 he was elected to the steering committee of the press and propaganda arm of the Rassemblement des démocrates congolaise (RADECO). His service in the government ended on 9 July. In 1965 he was elected to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. Following

Joseph-Désiré Mobutu Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa za Banga ( ; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997), often shortened to Mobutu Sese Seko or Mobutu and also known by his initials MSS, was a Congolese politician and military officer ...

's seizure of power later that year, Ilunga was able to retain government positions due to the influence of Kalamba and his uncle Bakole wa Ilunga, Archbishop of Kananga. He reprised his role as Minister of Public Works on 16 August 1968, serving until 31 July 1969. In 1970 he was elected to the National Assembly.

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* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ilunga, Alphonse 1931 births Living people People of the Congo Crisis Government ministers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Lumumba Government members Members of the Senate (Democratic Republic of the Congo) 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo people