Central African Republic: death of Désiré Kolingba, former minister and president of the DRC
Désiré Bilal Kolingba, leader of the Central African Democratic Rally, former minister, died at the age of 64 in Kinshasa on April 25, 2021. AFP - ERIC FEFERBERG
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The Central African class is in mourning: Désiré Bilal Kolingba, leader of the Central African Democratic Rally died at the age of 64 this Sunday, April 25 in Kinshasa, following an illness, according to his family.
Former Minister of Youth and Sports under the presidency of François Bozizé, Désiré Kolingba was a candidate in two presidential elections, in 2015 and last December.
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An economist trained in the United States and Canada, Désiré Kolingba worked at the World Bank in Washington in 1988. In the Central African Republic, he is best known for having taken over the reins of the DRC, the Central African Democratic Rally, a party founded by his father, the former president André Kolingba.
It is not easy to carry such a heritage: Désiré Kolingba emphasizes the principles of freedom and the rule of law.
As René Constant Ngbondo, a former traveling companion, explains: “
He followed the ideals of the party, that is to say: gathering, understanding and the general interest.
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In a context of crisis dividing the country, Désiré Kolingba is unifying.
Blaise Fleury Hotto, former secretary general of the DRC: “
He has never ceased to reach out to the belligerents.
He always thought that the crisis we had experienced was not a confessional crisis, it was a community crisis and he approached more than once the Muslim community to try to ask them to contribute to the return of peace in our country.
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In December 2015, Désiré Kolingba was a presidential candidate.
He finished third, and rallied in the second round, to Faustin Archange Touadéra, thus bringing down Anicet-Georges Dologuélé.
Sick and hospitalized for several weeks in France, Désiré Kolingba had not been able to fully invest in the last presidential campaign of 2020. He intended in particular to fight against the deterioration of the living conditions of Central Africans.
His goal was democracy and the return to peace in the Central African Republic ...
Anatole Ndemagouda, former campaign director of Désiré Bilal Nzanza Kolingba
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Central African Republic