List of governors of Équateur (former province)
This List of governors of Équateur (former province) includes governors of the former province of Équateur/Evenaar, created in the Belgian Congo on 20 August 1917. It also includes commissioners of the Équateur District, created in 1888 in the Congo Free State, the precursor of the province.
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In a 1933 reorganization Équateur was renamed Coquilhatville/Coquilhatstad province, losing an area in the south roughly equivalent to the present Mai-Ndombe to the new Léopoldville province. On 27 May 1947 the province regained the name of Équateur/Evenaar. It became an autonomous province of the Congo republic on 30 June 1960.
On 14 August 1962 Équateur was split into the provinces of Cuvette Centrale, Ubangi, and a centrally administered portion that became Moyen-Congo on 5 February 1963. On 25 April 1966 Cuvette Centrale, Moyen-Congo and Ubangi were reunited as Équateur province. On 11 July 2015 Équateur was split into the present provinces of Équateur, Mongala, Nord-Ubangi, Sud-Ubangi and Tshuapa.
Équateur Station (1883–1888)
Équateur Station, which would become the present city of Mbandaka, was established for the International African Association by Alphonse van Gèle and Camille Coquilhat in 1883 on the left bank of the Congo River below the mouth of the Ruki River.[1] The station heads were:[2]
- Alphonse van Gèle (1883–1884),
- Guillaume Casman (December 1884 – May 1885)
- Georges-Guillaume Pagels (May–June 1885)
- Camille Van den Plas (1 July 1885)
- Edward James Glave (December 1885)
- Georges-Guillaume Pagels (March–April 1886)
At the end of 1885 Charles Liebrechts was made responsible for the Équateur region. In 1888, Guillaume François Van Kerkoven commanded the two districts of Ubangi-Uele and Équateur.[2]
District of Équateur (1888–1917)
The district commissioners were:[3]
| Start | End | Commissioner |
|---|---|---|
| 25 June 1889 | 1890 | Guillaume Van Kerckhoven (1853–1892) |
| December 1890 | Charles-François-Alexandre Lemaire (1863–1925) | |
| 1 April 1893 | 1895 | Victor-Léon Fievez (1853–1939) |
| 1895 | 1898 | Gustave-Émile Sarrazyn (1864–1915) |
| 1898 | 1901 | René-Elisée-Charles-Louis Dubreucq (1869–1914) |
| 1901 | 1904 | Guillaume-Antoine-Jean-Clément de Bauw (1865–1914) |
| 17 February 1904 | January 1905 | Gustave-Eugène-Henri Stevens (1866–1928) |
| 18 December 1904 | 11 September 1907 | Albéric-Constantin-Edouard Bruneel (1863–1914) |
| 1907 | 1098 | Alexis Bertrand (1870–1946) |
| November 1908 | July 1916 | Fernand-Louis-Amélie Borms (1870–1952) |
First Équateur Province governors (1917–1962)
The governors (or equivalent) of the first Équateur Province from 1917 to 1962 were:[4]
| Province | Start | End | Officeholder | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Équateur/Evenaar | 2 August 1917 | December 1919 | Georges Moulaert (d. 1958) | Deputy governor-general |
| Équateur/Evenaar | December 1919 | 25 October 1921 | Alphonse Engels (1880–1962) | Deputy governor-general |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1921 | 4 October 1924 | Charles Duchesne (1881–1945) | Deputy governor-general (interim to 1922) |
| Équateur/Evenaar | January 1922 | September 1922 | Georges Van der Kerken (1888–1953) | Deputy governor-general (acting for Duchesne) |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 4 October 1924 | 1925 | W.E. Parker | Deputy governor-general (interim) |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1925 | 24 March 1933 | Charles Duchesne | Governor and deputy governor-general |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1927 | 1928 | J. Jorissen | Governor and deputy governor-general (acting for Duchesne) |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1929 | 1930 | J. Jorissen | Governor and deputy governor-general (acting for Duchesne) |
| Coquilhatville/Coquilhatstad | 1933 | 1934 | J. Jorissen | Commissioner |
| Coquilhatville/Coquilhatstad | 11 July 1934 | 1935 | E. Van de Cappelle (1881–1937) | Commissioner |
| Coquilhatville/Coquilhatstad | 1935 | 1941 | Eugène J.F. Henry | Commissioner |
| Coquilhatville/Coquilhatstad | 1941 | 1945 | Eugène J.F. Henry | Governor |
| Coquilhatville/Coquilhatstad | 1945 | 1947 | Van Hoeck | Governor (interim) |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1947 | 1950 | F. Wenner[lower-alpha 1] | Governor |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1950 | Luc Breuls de Tiecken (b. 1900) | Governor (1st time) | |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1950 | A. Gille | Governor | |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1950 | Luc Breuls de Tiecken | Governor (2nd time) | |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1950 | 1951 | Pierre Nauwelaert (1903–1969) | Governor |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1951 | 1953 | Luc Breuls de Tiecken | Governor (3rd time) |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1953 | Nicolas Muller (b. 1903) | Commissioner (1st time) | |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1953 | July 1954 | Maurice De Ryck (1900–1964) | Governor |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1954 | 1955 | Nicolas Muller | Commissioner (2nd time) |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1955 | 1956 | Georges Schmit (b. 1908) | Governor |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1956 | Nicolas Muller | Governor (3rd time) | |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1956 | 1958 | Odon Spitaels (b. 1912) | Governor |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1957 | Alphonse De Valkeneer (1898–1973) | Governor (acting for Spitaels) | |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 1958 | 30 June 1960 | Alphonse De Valkeneer | Governor |
| Équateur/Evenaar | 30 June 1960 | 14 August 1962 | Laurent Eketebi (b. 1936) | President |
Temporary successors (1962–1966)
The governors (or equivalent) of Cuvette Centrale, Ubangi and Moyen-Congo between 1962 and 1966 were:[4]
Cuvette Centrale
| Start | End | Officeholder | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 1962 | 25 April 1966 | Léon Engulu | President (from October 1965, governor) |
Moyen-Congo
| Start | End | Officeholder | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 April 1963 | June 1964 | Laurent Eketebi | President (de facto from 15 September 1962) |
| April 1963 | 30 July 1963 | Denis Akundji President of secessionist province of | Bumba |
| 23 June 1964 | 10 August 1965 | Augustin Engwanda | President |
| 10 August 1965 | 25 April 1966 | Denis Sakombi (1929–1985) | Governor |
Ubangi
| Start | End | Officeholder | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 1962 | 20 July 1965 | Alfred Nzondomyo | President |
| 20 July 1965 | 25 April 1966 | Michel Denge | Governor |
Reunited Équateur Province governors (1966–2015)
The governors (or equivalent) of the united Équateur Province from 1966 until it was split up in 2015 were:[4]
| Start | End | Officeholder | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 April 1966 | 3 January 1967 | Léon Engulu | Governor |
| 3 January 1967 | 9 August 1968 | Jonas Mukamba (b. 1931) | Governor (1st time) |
| 9 August 1968 | 12 March 1969 | Denis Paluku (1936–2014) | Governor |
| 12 March 1969 | 5 August 1969 | Édouard Bulundwe (b. 1932) | Governor |
| 5 August 1969 | 23 December 1970 | Henri-Désiré Takizala (1936–2000) | Governor |
| 23 December 1970 | 19 March 1974 | Oscar Ngoma (from 1972, Ngoma Ntoto Bwangi) | Governor, from 1972 Commissioner |
| 19 March 1974 | 23 June 1975 | Mbala Mbabu | Commissioner |
| 23 June 1975 | 21 February 1978 | Loposo Nzela Balombe | Commissioner |
| 21 January 1978 | 18 January 1980 | Namwisi Ma Nkoy | Commissioner |
| 18 January 1980 | 27 August 1980 | Mpambia Musanga Bekaja (b. 1935) | Governor (1st time) |
| 27 August 1980 | 19 March 1983 | Mukamba Kadiata Nzemba (= Jonas Mukamba) | Governor (2nd time) |
| 19 March 1983 | 21 March 1984 | Kititwa Tumansi Benga Tundu (1929–2000) | Governor |
| 21 March 1984 | 1 January 1985 | Sabi Ngampoub Mubiem | Governor (interim) |
| 1 January 1985 | 26 April 1986 | Mpambia Musanga Bekaja | Governor (2nd time) |
| 26 April 1986 | 20 July 1988 | Mokolo Matamba Moful (d. 1989) | Governor |
| 20 July 1988 | 11 January 1990 | Kisanga Kabongelo | Governor |
| 12 January 1990 | June 1990 | Fundu Kota (b. 1943) | Governor |
| 1990 | Lwabanji Ngabo Lwasi | Governor (interim) | |
| Basembe Emina | Governor | ||
| Mpambia Musanga Bekaja | Governor (3rd time) | ||
| 1992 | 1997 | Njoku Ey'Obabe | Governor |
| March 1997 | 12 May 1997 | Mukobo Mundende Popolo (1937–2015) | Governor |
| April 1997 | 1999 | Gabriel Mola Motia (b. 1957) | Governor |
| 1999 | 200. | Christian Eleko Botuna (1950–2007) | Governor |
| January 2002 | 26 May 2004 | Jean-Bertrand Ewanga (b. 1952) | Governor |
| 26 May 2004 | 24 February 2007 | Yves Mobando Yogo (b. 1955) | Governor |
| 24 February 2007 | February 2009 | José Makila Sumanda (b. 1959) | Governor |
| February 2009 | April 2013 | Jean-Claude Baende (b. 1963) | Governor (interim to November 2009) |
| April 2013 | 22 July 2013 | René Bofaya | Governor (interim) |
| 22 July 2013 | 14 December 2014 | Louis Alphonse Koyagialo (1947–2014) | Governor |
| 5 September 2013 | 29 October 2015 | Sébastien Impeto Mpengo | Governor (acting for Koyagialo to 14 December 2014) |
Notes
- The governor F. Wenner from 1947–1950 was not François Wenner, former governor of Lusambo, who is named as an honorary governor in 1949.[5]
References
- Janssens, Édouard; Cateaux, Albert (1908), Les Belges au Congo: notices biographiques, Antwerp: J. van Hille-De Backer, pp. 167–182
- Omasombo Tshonda, Jean, ed. (2016), Équateur : Au cœur de la cuvette congolaise (PDF), Musée royal de l’Afrique centrale, ISBN 978-9-4922-4423-9, retrieved 2020-09-02
- Lufungula, Lewono (1986), "Les gouverneurs de l'Équateur, 1885 - 1960", Annales Aequatoria, Honoré Vinck, 7: 149–166, JSTOR 25836402
- "Congo (Kinshasa) Provinces", Rulers.org, retrieved 2020-08-05
- Belgium (1949), Belgisch staatsblad, retrieved 17 August 2020