Jacques Joachim Yhombi Opango (12 January 1939 – 30 March 2020) was a politician from the Republic of the Congo. During his career he held the country's highest office in the late 1970s, led a political party, and later served as prime minister in the 1990s.
Early life
Yhombi-Opango was born on 12 January 1939 in Owando, located in the Cuvette Region of what was then French Equatorial Africa. He became involved in national affairs and rose to prominence in Congolese public life.
National leadership
He served as Head of State of the People's Republic of the Congo from 1977 until 1979. Years later he returned to government as Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo, holding that post from 1993 to 1996.
Party role
Yhombi-Opango was also the president of the Rally for Democracy and Development (RDD), a political organization active in his country’s multiparty politics.
Timeline
- 1939 — Born in Owando, Cuvette Region.
- 1977–1979 — Head of State of the People's Republic of the Congo.
- 1993–1996 — Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo.
- Later — President of the Rally for Democracy and Development (RDD).
Death
Yhombi-Opango died on 30 March 2020 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. He was 81 years old. Health authorities reported the cause of death as COVID-19.
He is remembered as an influential figure in modern Congolese politics and a central actor in several transitional periods of the country's post-independence history. He was a Congolese national throughout his life.