Jean-Chrysostome Weregemere

Jean-Chrysostome Weregemere or Weregemere Bingwa Nyalumeke (born 5 September 1919) was a Congolese politician who led a faction of the Centre du Regroupement Africain. He served as Minister of Agriculture in the Congolese government from August 1961 until July 1962 and then as Minister of Justice until December 1962. Weregemere later held prominent positions in parastatals and sat on the central committee of the Mouvement Populaire de la Révolution from 1980 until 1985.

Weregemere was born in Kivu Province, Belgian Congo. After studying with various Catholic institutions and taking courses in medicine, he entered the workforce, but frequently ran afoul of the colonial authorities for engaging in political activities. In 1958 he cofounded the Centre du Regroupement Africain (CEREA), a political party. He successfully expanded its influence and became its secretary-general, but continued to face challenges from the Belgian administration. In early 1960 he accused the leadership of CEREA of communist sympathies and created a splinter party. In the Congo's first free elections later that year Weregemere won a seat in the Chamber of Deputies. In August 1961 he was appointed Minister of Agriculture. In July 1962 Prime Minister Cyrille Adoula reorganised his government and Weregemere was made Minister of Justice. The appointment was not well received by the public, and following attempts by the Adoula Government to arrest members of Parliament, Weregemere was removed from his office by a motion of censure in the Chamber in December.

During President Joseph-Désiré Mobutu's tenure, Weregemere was given many board positions on various parastatals. In September 1980 he was inducted into the central committee of the state-sponsored party, the Mouvement Populaire de la Révolution, where he served until his expulsion in 1985, allegedly for opposing a government appointment. He was thereafter banished to a remote farm in his home region and was restricted to leave to seek treatment for glaucoma. Following a measure of political liberalisation in the early 1990s, he reestablished CEREA and took part in the Conference Nationale Souveraine to discuss the restoration of democracy.