Victor Koumorico

Victor Koumorico (also spelled Kumoriko, Komoriko, or Koumoriko) (died 22 June 1966) was a Congolese politician who served as President of the Senate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from July 1961 until November 1962.

Victor Koumorico
President of the Senate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
In office 25 July 1961 – September 1962
Deputy	Isaac Kalonji
Preceded by	Joseph Iléo
Succeeded by	Isaac Kalonji
President of Lac Léopold II Province
In office September 1962 – December 1963
Succeeded by	Gabriel Zagabie
Personal details
Died	22 June 1966 Léopoldville, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Political party	UNILAC (Parti National du Progrès)

Biography

Victor Koumorico belonged to the Ekonda ethnic group.[1] He participated in the East African Campaign of World War I in German East Africa as a member of the Force Publique.[2] He was the chief of a tribe. According to custom this position entitled him to six wives, but Koumorico only had two, saying it was "because I am a good Catholic."[3]

Political career

In the first elections of the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville) in 1960, Koumorico was elected as both a national deputy of the Oshwe Territory of the Lac Léopold II District and as a senator, serving on behalf of the UNILAC party. At the time he was the oldest member of the Senate. He withdrew his mandate as a deputy.[4] Koumorico led a delegation to Élisabethville in early 1961 to negotiate with the leaders of the secessionist State of Katanga on behalf of the central government of the Congo.[5] He participated in the Coquilhatville Conference in May 1961. On 25 July at the Lovanium Conclave Koumorico was elected President of the Senate.[4][6] He served in the role until September 1962.[6]

Koumorico strongly advocated for the creation of a new "Lac Léopold II Province" dominated by the Ekonda.[7] Once the central government agreed to its creation, he presented himself as a candidate for the provincial presidency. He was given widespread support from local political leaders and subsequently became the first President of Lac Léopold II Province in September 1962.[8] He terminated his senate mandate to focus on his provincial responsibilities.[9] Over the course of 1963 the political situation in the province deteriorated due to disagreements on representation in the governing institutions and the location of the capital. Koumorico proposed a conference to reconcile differences and the creation of a new political party, the PANALAC. Despite initial receptiveness from opposition figures, Koumorico's political position continued to decline and by September a rival government had been formed.[10] His government dissolved in December.[11]

On 30 May 1964 Koumorico was appointed Extraordinary Commissionaire for Kivu Central and tasked with overseeing the central government's efforts to restore order in the region in the midst of the Simba rebellion.[12] Following the 1965 general elections, he was made provisional President of the Senate while the senatorial elections and credentials were confirmed.[13] After suffering from a long illness, Koumorico died in Léopoldville on 22 June 1966.[14]

Citations

1. Omasombo Tshonda 2019, p. 379.
2. Young 2015, p. 280.
3. Halberstam, David (25 November 1961). "Congo Has Both in Water System Since Floods Cascaded Into the Zoo". The New York Times. p. 6. ProQuest 115293389.
4. CRISP 1961, NOTICE BIOGRAPHIQUES.
5. CRISP 1961, II - LES TENTATIVES DE REUNIFICATION ET DE LEGITIMATION.
6. Omasombo Tshonda 2019, p. 439.
7. Omasombo Tshonda 2019, pp. 379–380.
8. Omasombo Tshonda 2019, p. 386.
9. Bonyeka 1992, p. 401.
10. Omasombo Tshonda 2019, p. 388.
11. Omasombo Tshonda 2019, p. 389.
12. CRISP 1965, p. 71.
13. "Tshombe Assassination Bid". West Africa. September 1965. p. 1117.
14. Gerard-Libois & Verhaegen 2015, p. 332.

References

• Bonyeka, Bomandeke (1992). Le Parlement congolais sous le régime de la Loi fondamentale (in French). Kinshasa: Presses universitaire du Zaire. OCLC 716913628.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Congo 1964 (in French). Brussels: Centre de recherche et d'information socio-politiques. 1965. OCLC 16518788.
• Gerard-Libois, Jules; Verhaegen, Benoit (2015). Congo 1965: Political Documents of a Developing Nation (in French) (reprint ed.). Princeton University Press. ISBN 9781400875436.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Omasombo Tshonda, Jean, ed. (2019). Mai-Ndombe. Mosaïque de peuples établie sur un patrimoine naturel (PDF). Provinces (in French). Tervuren. ISBN 978-9-4926-6955-1.
• "Onze mois de crise politique au Congo". Courrier Hebdomadaire du CRISP (in French). Centre de recherche et d'information socio-politiques (120): 1–24. 1961. doi:10.3917/cris.120.0001.
• Young, M. Crawford (2015). Politics in Congo: Decolonization and Independence (reprint ed.). Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1-4008-7857-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)