John Numbi

History

Numbi is of the same Lubakat group as former President Laurent-Désiré Kabila. Politically active, he was an organizer of the youth militia of the Union of Federalists and Independent Republicans (JUFERI), which was used by former governor Gabriel Kyungu wa Kumwanza against Luba supporters of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress in the late 1990s. In 2000, he held the rank of Brigadier General and was the commander for military Region 4 (Katanga).

In November 2006, the Congolese military's offensive against the armed National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) had stalled. Numbi, then commander of the Congolese air force, was sent in Goma to negotiate with CNDP commander Laurent Nkunda. The talks were moved on 31 December to Kigali, where they were facilitated by senior Rwandan officers, including Chief of Staff Gen. James Kabarebe. In early January, an agreement was reached, the terms of which included that Nkunda's forces would be subject to mixage with government units in North Kivu, and eventually deployed outside the province. On 14 February 2007, in reaction to increasing international criticism of the use of child soldiers, Numbi was among a group of senior officers who issued a notice to commanders of mixed brigades that they would be held responsible for the illegal presence of children in their units.

On 26 February 2008, Numbi met with Interior Minister Denis Kalume and President Joseph Kabila to discuss Bundu Dia Kongo (BDK), an unarmed religious movement that had been engaged in violent demonstrations for greater political independence in Bas Kongo. Two days later, 600 police officers armed with machine guns and grenades were deployed from Kinshasa to repress the group. This action was criticized by United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo as an excessive use of force. In 2009, Numbi and Kabarebe of Rwanda managed Operations Kimia II and Umoja Wetu, a joint operation against Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda forces operating in eastern Congo.

Historian Gérard Prunier in a 2009 publication states that Numbi, along with Augustin Katumba Mwanke, Samba Kaputo, Kalume and Marcellin Cishambo, are the "old palace guard" who "are the ones actually running things" in the Congolese government. Prunier further asserts that this group has "a vested interest in 'personally fruitful' stagnation."

On 28 September 2016, Numbi received United States sanctions because he used "violent intimidation" to secure victories for his favored candidates in 2016 provincial elections. U.S. citizens are now barred from conducting financial transactions with him. The measures were seen as a warning to president Joseph Kabila to respect the country's constitution.