Pierre Oba

Pierre Oba (born 17 July 1953) is a Congolese security official who has served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Mines since 2005. During the 1980s, he served successively as Director of Presidential Security and as Director-General of Public Security. Later, he was Minister of the Interior from 1997 to 2002 and Minister of Security from 2002 to 2005. He is also a Général de Brigade of the National Police.[1]

Background and early military–political career

Oba, an ethnic Mbochi,[2] was born at Ollembé, located in the Ollombo District of Plateaux Region.[1] He is a cousin of Congolese President Denis Sassou-Nguesso.[3] Oba became Director of Presidential Security in 1984[3][4] and was named Director-General of Public Security on 11 September 1987.[3] In 1989, he was elected to the Central Committee of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT).[3][4]

In the early 1990s, when the PCT's single-party rule collapsed and multiparty politics was introduced, Oba lost his post as Director-General of Public Security; subsequently he served as aide-de-camp to Sassou Nguesso.[5] Along with Colonel Michel Ngakala, he created the "Cobras", a militia loyal to opposition leader Sassou-Nguesso, in 1993.[6]

Political career since 1997

Oba participated in the June–October 1997 civil war on Sassou Nguesso's side and was wounded in the fighting.[5] After Sassou Nguesso's Cobra militia returned him to power in October 1997, Oba was appointed as Minister of the Interior, Security, and Territorial Administration on 2 November 1997.[2][7][8] He was the only member of the government who did not stand as a candidate in the May–June 2002 parliamentary election.[9] After the election, in the government named on 18 August 2002, Oba was appointed as Minister of Security and Police.[10][11]

Oba was believed to have been marginalized by Jean-Dominique Okemba, another influential security official and Sassou Nguesso relative, during the mid-2000s.[12][13] In the government named on 7 January 2005, he was moved to the position of Minister of Mines, Mining Industries, and Geology;[2][14] the move decreased Oba's prominence.[5]

Following the death of Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard, the Minister of State for Hydrocarbons, in July 2009, Oba additionally managed his portfolio in an interim capacity.[15] He was retained as Minister of Mines and Geology in the government appointed on 15 September 2009, but was released from his interim responsibility for the hydrocarbons portfolio.[16]

In August 2013, he was probed by French authorities for the alleged role he may have played in human rights abuses during the 1997 civil war.[17]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Short official biography at the Wayback Machine (archived March 22, 2005) (French).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Emmanuel Okamba, La gouvernance, une affaire de société: Analyse mythiumétrique de la performance (2010), L'Harmattan, page 181 (French).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Rémy Bazenguissa-Ganga, Les voies du politique au Congo: essai de sociologie historique (1997), Karthala Editions, pages 292 and 443.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Oba Pierre", Congo Brazzaville: Les Hommes de Pouvoir n°1, Africa Intelligence, 29 October 2002 (French).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 John F. Clark and Samuel Decalo, Historical Dictionary of Republic of the Congo, fourth edition (2012), Scarecrow Press, page 329.
  6. ↑ Mbow M. Amphas, Political Transformations of the Congo (2000), Pentland Press, page 102.
  7. ↑ Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social, and Cultural Series (1997), pages 12,887–12,888.
  8. ↑ John F. Clark, The Failure of Democracy in the Republic of Congo (2008), Lynne Rienner Publishers, page 260.
  9. ↑ "Elections législatives : le ministère de l’Intérieur publie la liste officielle des 1 199 candidats", Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 14 May 2002 (French).
  10. ↑ "Le nouveau gouvernement a été mis en place", La Semaine Africaine, 22 August 2002 (French).
  11. ↑ "Old guard, new guard", Africa Confidential, volume 43, number 17, 30 August 2002.
  12. ↑ Paul Soni-Benga, Les non-dits des violences politiques du Congo-Brazzaville (2005), L'Harmattan, page 303 (French).
  13. ↑ "Nepotists' nirvana", Africa Confidential, volume 45, number 9, 30 April 2004.
  14. ↑ Justin Ducker Mambiki, "Nouveau gouvernement du Congo Brazzaville. Le Congo a un premier ministre", Congo-Media, 12 January 2005 (French).
  15. ↑ Willy Mbossa, "Parlement : le Sénat adopte la réglementation sur la pêche, le partage de production pétrolière, et la propagande anticonceptionnelle", Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 30 August 2009 (French).
  16. ↑ "Gouvernement - La nouvelle équipe compte trente-sept membres", Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 16 September 2009 (French).
  17. ↑ "Human rights abuse suspect Pierre Oba pulls out of Perth conference", WAtoday, August 30, 2013.