Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

James Aloizi Mwakibolwa is a Tanzanian military officer. He served as

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the

Tanzania People's Defence Force The Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) () is the military force of the United Republic of Tanzania. It was established in September 1964, following a mutiny by the former colonial military force, the Tanganyika Rifles. From its inception, ...

(TPDF) between 2017 and 2018 and previously commanded the

Force Intervention Brigade The United Nations Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) is a military formation which constitutes part of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). It was authorized by the United Nations ...

(FIB) of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

MONUSCO The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or MONUSCO (an acronym based on its French name ), is a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A planned withdraw ...

peacekeeping mission 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 neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

between 2013 and 2014. His command encompassed the

M23 rebellion M23 rebellion or M23 campaign may refer to: * M23 rebellion (2012–2013), an armed conflict in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo * M23 campaign (2022–present), an offensive in North Kivu against the Armed Forces of the Democratic Re ...

and Mwakibolwa was personally credited with making an important contribution to the defeat of the

M23 rebels The March 23 Movement (), often abbreviated as M23 and also known as the Congolese Revolutionary Army (), is a Congolese Rwandan-backed rebel paramilitary group. Based in the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it operates ...

in Kivu Province. Mwakibolwa served in the TPDF for over 30 years. Before receiving the command of the FIB, he served as commander of the Military Assessment Team of the

International Conference on the Great Lakes Region International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), French: ''Conférence Internationale sur la Région des Grands Lacs (CIRGL)'', is an intergovernmental organization of African countries in the African Great Lakes region. Membership Th ...

(ICGLR) in October 2012 to assess the military situation in the Eastern Congo. The FIB, of which Mwakibolwa was the first commander as brigadier general, is a military formation which forms part of the MONUSCO mission. During Mwakibolwa tenure, MONUSCO was under the command of

Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz Divisional general Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz (born 1 June 1952) is a Brazilian military officer who previously held the post of Force Commander of the United Nations' peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (known by its a ...

. The FIB was authorized by the United Nations Security Council on 28 March 2013 through United Nations Security Council Resolution 2098 and was the first UN peacekeeping formation specifically tasked to carry out offensive operations to neutralize armed groups that threaten State authority and civilian security. After the end of his mandate in April 2014, Mwakibolwa returned to Tanzania with his contingent of Tanzanian soldiers. He served as

of the TPDF from 2017 to 2018 and received a promotion to

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

References

External links

Le général James-Aloys Mwakibolwa : «Aucun groupe armé n’occupera la ville de Goma»
at ''

Le Potentiel ''Le Potentiel'' is a Democratic Republic of the Congo daily newspaper published by an award-winning journalist Modeste Mutinga. The Committee to Protect Journalists described it as "the only independent daily newspaper in the war-torn Democratic R ...

''
Brig Gen James Mwakibolwa: New method of combating violence in the DR Congo
at the United Nations. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mwakibolwa, James Tanzanian generals Living people Date of birth missing (living people) United Nations military personnel United Nations Force Intervention Brigade People of the M23 rebellion Tanzanian officials of the United Nations Year of birth missing (living people)