Raymond Ramazani Baya

Raymond Ramazani Baya (16 June 1943 – 1 January 2019) was a Congolese politician. He served as the foreign minister of that country^[1] under the transitional government following his appointment to that post on 23 July 2004, by vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba, who was allowed to appoint the foreign minister.

Raymond Ramazani Baya
Ramazani Baya in 2005
Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
In office 22 July 2004 – 6 February 2007
President	Joseph Kabila
Preceded by	Antoine Ghonda
Succeeded by	Antipas Mbusa
Ambassador of Zaire to France
In office 1990–1996
Personal details
Born	(1943-06-16)16 June 1943 Beni, Belgian Congo
Died	1 January 2019(2019-01-01) (aged 75) Paris, France

Biography

Ramazani was a long-time member of the regime of President Mobutu, most prominently as Minister of Information^[2] and as Ambassador to France.^[3]

On 23 November 1996, Ramazani was staying in a hotel in Nice, not far from Mobutu's Villa del Mare in Roquebrune Cap-Martin when he was summoned by Mobutu to assist at a meeting with Central African President Ange-Félix Patassé. In Menton, he hit two adolescents with his car while driving well above the speed limit. One victim immediately died, whereas the other went in a coma and died shortly thereafter.^[4] He quit his position as ambassador, and was condemned to a suspended sentence of two years in prison and a fine of 56,000 FF.

After the fall of Mobutu in 1997, Ramazani became dissatisfied with the new government of Laurent Kabila. He joined the Movement for the Liberation of Congo, a rebel group based in Gbadolite which was led by Jean-Pierre Bemba. In 2003 the group entered into a transitional government with other rebel groups and the Joseph Kabila government. Bemba became a vice-president and, among other things, was able to appoint the foreign minister. Antoine Ghonda became foreign minister, but Ramazani was by this time an important advisor on diplomacy to Bemba. He became foreign minister in 2004 when Ghonda was sacked. His time in that post ended in February 2007, at the beginning of President Joseph Kabila's second term, when the government of Prime Minister Antoine Gizenga took office. He died on 1 January 2019.^[5]