| Birth Date: | 28 January 1954 |
| Birth Place: | Brazzaville |
| Occupation: | Military officer |
Charles Richard Mondjo (born 28 January 1954) is a Congolese military officer who has served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Defense since 2012. Previously, he was Chief of Staff of the Congolese Armed Forces from 2002 to 2012.[1]
An ethnic Mbochi[2] and the son of diplomat Nicolas Mondjo,[1] [2] Charles Richard Mondjo was born in Brazzaville on 28 January 1954, attending school in Cuvette Department[1] [2] and Brazzaville.[1] Subsequently, he attended military preparatory school.[1] [2] He received training at a military school in East Germany from 1976 to 1978 and at a military school in the Soviet Union from 1982 to 1986.[3]
Back in Congo-Brazzaville, Mondjo served as an army officer,[1] [2] and he was Director of Lessons and Studies at the Marien Ngouabi Military Academy in Brazzaville from 1987 to 1993.[3] He sided with rebel leader Denis Sassou Nguesso during the June - October 1997 civil war; the war ended with Sassou Nguesso regaining power and ousting President Pascal Lissouba.[2] In December 1997, Mondjo was appointed as Commander of Military Zone 1, which included the country's economic capital, Pointe-Noire; he remained in that post for five years.[1] [2] He was appointed as Chief of Staff of the Congolese Armed Forces on 20 December 2002,[1] and he was promoted to the rank of major-general (général de division).[2]
After serving nearly ten years as Chief of Staff, Mondjo was appointed to the government as Minister at the Presidency for National Defense on 25 September 2012.[1] [4] He was officially succeeded as Chief of Staff by Major-General Guy Blanchard Okoï at a ceremony on 7 November 2012.[5]
Mondjo met with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in Brazzaville on 11 February 2014 for a discussion about instability in the Central African Republic.[6]
After Sassou Nguesso's victory in the March 2016 presidential election, he retained Mondjo in his post as Minister of National Defense on 30 April 2016.[7]