Département des Sciences Politiques et Administratives, Faculté des Sciences Sociales, Politiques et Administratives, Université de Lubumbashi, B.P 1825, Lubumbashi, RD Congo
This study aims to demonstrating that from independence of Democratic Republic of the Congo till now, ethnicity has always played a major role for political leaders in this that each one uses his tribe or ethnicity as to secure his power base during his reign. This, in fact, has been demonstrated through the various rebellions of the years 1960-1965, when everyone fell back in his home province to be able to provide a sound basis strengthening and legitimizing actions or ambitions of the interest of the whole community.
From the taking over in 1965, 1997 and 2001, people only succeeded to empower, as the political power management system did not change at all. Since the time of Mobutu’s, Kabila's father’s or Joseph Kabila’s regime, political power enjoyed an ethnic or tribal base safe in the sense that each governing, working with the members of his home province. Therefore, other tribes were part of the fair management that hide the image of ethnicity by appearing advocate for national unity. Really, the members of the ethnic group or tribe played or still play a vital role of running for important posts in the army and government, including the Interior Ministry, the General Staff of the Army, national defense, presidential security brigade, the intelligence services, police, the public enterprises and other government posts.