Christian Tshiwewe Songesa

Army General Christian Tshiwewe Songesha (born 1968) is a Congolese military officer who served as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Prior to his present position, he was the commander of the Republican Guard, an elite praetorian guard unit responsible for the security of the Head of State and other strategic security installations in the country. Tshiwewe replaced Lieutenant General Célestin Mbala, who was the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces from 14 July 2018 until 4 October 2022.

Biography He was born in the city of Lubumbashi, in present-day Haut-Katanga Province, on 27 October 1968. In 1998, following the ouster of Mobutu Sese Seko by Laurent Kabila, Christian Tshiwewe was among the first infantry officers sent to train in Sudan. He followed that with a staff command course referred to as "Mura", in Likasi, in the Haut-Katanga Province. He received anti-terrorism training in Angola, by Israeli instructors. He attended the Brigade Commander Course at the higher military center in Kinshasa and also studied at the College of Advanced Military Studies and Defense Strategies in Kinshasa.

On 19 December 2024, Tshisekedi dismissed Tshiwewe as chief of staff of the armed forces and replaced him with Lieutenant General Jules Banza Mwilambwe.

On 8 July 2025, Tshiwewe was reportedly arrested by the Congolese government for an alleged coup attempt, along with several other FARDC officers.