Azarias Ruberwa
A Banyamulenge leader who transitioned from rebel commander to a vice-president in the DRC's fragile post-war government.
Born 1964 (age 62)·Congolese politician, lawyer and public figure·Birthday: August 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
Azarias Ruberwa's life is intertwined with the complex, violent politics of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. A lawyer and member of the Tutsi-affiliated Banyamulenge community, he rose to prominence as the Secretary-General of the RCD-Goma rebel movement during the devastating Second Congo War. His role placed him at the heart of a conflict fueled by regional geopolitics and ethnic strife. In the war's uneasy aftermath, Ruberwa made a pivotal shift from the battlefield to the negotiating table. As part of the 2002 Sun City Agreement, he became one of four vice-presidents in the DRC's transitional government from 2003 to 2006, a power-sharing arrangement meant to steer the country toward elections. This period cemented his status as a key political figure for his community, though it was marked by continual tension and instability. Since then, he has led the RCD-Goma as a political party, remaining a significant, if controversial, voice in Congolese politics.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Azarias was born in 1964, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Azarias Was Born
The biggest hits of 1964
#1 Movie
Mary Poppins
Best Picture
My Fair Lady
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Azarias's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1964Born
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1969Started school
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1977Became a teenager
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Could drive
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1982Could vote
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Turned 21
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1994Turned 30
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 40
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 50
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 60
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 62 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as a Vice-President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's transitional government from 2003 to 2006.
- Was the Secretary-General of the RCD-Goma rebel movement during the Second Congo War.
- Has been the president of the RCD-Goma political party since the early 2000s.
- Participated in the Inter-Congolese Dialogue that led to the Sun City peace agreement.
Did You Know?
He is a trained lawyer by profession.
His community, the Banyamulenge, are often described as Congolese Tutsis with roots in Rwanda and Burundi.
He ran for president in the 2006 Democratic Republic of the Congo general election.
“Peace in Congo requires more than a signature; it requires justice.”
