Azarias Ruberwa

Azarias Ruberwa Manywa (born August 20, 1964 in Fizi Territory, Democratic Republic of Congo) is a Congolese politician, lawyer, and public figure. He was one of four vice-presidents in the transitional government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 2003-2006.

He has been the leader and president of the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie political party since 2003 and unsuccessfully ran as a candidate for president of DRC in 2006. Former U.S. Presidential speechwriter John Shosky ranked Ruberwa 6th on a list of the top greatest global political speakers. The list also included other notable politicians such as former British PM Tony Blair and U.S. President Barack Obama.

He is a member of the Banyamulenge community of South Kivu who belong to the Tutsi tribe.

Ruberwa trained as a lawyer at the University of Lubumbashi. He also practiced law in Lubumbashi before the AFDL war in 1996. After losing the presidential election in 2006, he became a member of the bar in Kinshasa and reopened his law practice.

Ruberwa is currently on the board of Mercy Ships, and serves as the senior advisor to his own family's NGO Congo Family Restoration. As of March 2012, the NGO added 50 more orphans in Goma to the already 50 orphans in Kinshasa that they help support. Ruberwa has been an honorary guest speaker in the past at universities such as Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Liberty University and University of St. Thomas (Minnesota). He continues to deliver keynote speeches at numerous national and international forums.