Joseph Midiburo (1930 – 13 June 2008) was a Congolese politician who served as the third President of the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

of 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 ...

Early life

Joseph Midiburo was born in 1930 in Bwisha,

Rutshuru Territory Rutshuru Territory is a Territories of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, territory in the North Kivu province of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with headquarters is the town of Rutshuru. The territory is mountainous, inclu ...

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 ...

. He could speak

Kinyarwanda Kinyarwanda, Rwandan or Rwanda, officially known as Ikinyarwanda, is a Bantu language and the national language of Rwanda. It is a dialect of the Rwanda-Rundi language that is also spoken in adjacent parts of the Democratic Republic of the ...

. He underwent four years of secondary education and took

correspondence courses Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

on accounting. Midiburo founded the Rassemblement de l'Est du Congo (RECO/REKO) party, which later merged with the Centre du Regroupement Africain (CEREA). He subsequently became a vice president of the party. He served on the Executive College of the

Goma Goma is a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the North Kivu, North Kivu Province; it is located on the northern shore of Lake Kivu and shares borders with the Bukumu Chiefdo ...

territory.

Career

Midiburo was elected to the first Congolese

in May 1960 on a CEREA ticket from the North Kivu constituency. On 21 June, he was elected 74 votes to 55 to become the Second Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies. In October he was made a member of a commission assembled by deposed 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 ...

tasked with managing his relations with the

United Nations Operation in the Congo The United Nations Operation in the Congo (, abbreviated ONUC) was a United Nations United Nations peacekeeping, peacekeeping force which was deployed in the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Republic of the Congo in 1960 in response to th ...

. He briefly served in the Stanleyville government from late 1960 until he returned to the capital,

Léopoldville Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-growing megacities, with an estimated population of 17 million ...

, in mid-1961. Midiburo was elected First Vice-President of the Chamber on 24 July 1961. In October 1962 he was arrested by

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 ...

's government on charges of subversion, but he was released several weeks later. He was elected President of the Chamber on 3 March 1963. In April 1963, Parliament resolved to create a joint committee to prepare revisions for the constitution. Though the presiding officers of both houses nominally chaired the committee together, Midiburo was left responsible for leading the panel. He served as President of the Chamber until September 1965. He took part in organising the Conference Nationale Souveraine of the early 1990s.

Death

Midiburo died on 13 June 2008 while receiving medical care in

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

in the presence of his son, Adolphe.

Citations

References

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Midiburo, Joseph 1930 births 2008 deaths Presidents of the National Assembly (Democratic Republic of the Congo) People of the Congo Crisis People from North Kivu 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo people