# List of ambassadors of Sweden to the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Ambassador of Sweden to Congo-Kinshasa (known formally as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Democratic Republic of the Congo) is the official representative of the government of Sweden to the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

## History

On the occasion of the Republic of the Congo gaining independence on 30 June 1960, Acting Foreign Minister Herman Kling stated in a congratulatory telegram to Congo's Foreign Minister Justin Bomboko that the Swedish government recognized Congo as a sovereign and independent state. Sweden was represented at the establishment of the new state by the head of the political division and a director at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs Sverker Åström, who, during the celebrations on 1 July 1960, in Léopoldville, conveyed the King's congratulations to the new state's president, Joseph Kasa-Vubu. Åström also delivered a letter to Congo's Foreign Minister, in which the Swedish government welcomed Congo into the community of free nations and expressed hopes for the development of economic, cultural, and other relations between the two countries.
Six months later, in January 1961, it was proposed in the government budget bill that the Swedish consulate in Léopoldville be replaced by an embassy. On 8 July 1962, the King in Council announced that Count Axel Lewenhaupt had been appointed as Sweden's ambassador to Léopoldville. In September of the same year, it was announced that an agreement establishing diplomatic relations between the governments of Sweden and the Republic of the Congo had been reached. Lewenhaupt, as Sweden's first ambassador to Congo, presented his credentials in October 1962.
In September 1981, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs proposed closing the embassy in Kinshasa. What remained was an embassy office managed by an ambassador based in another location. In November 1982, Ambassador Karl Henrik Andersson was reassigned to the Foreign Ministry in Stockholm while retaining his ambassadorial position for Kinshasa and other accredited posts. The embassy was now managed by a chargé d'affaires and an assistant, while the ambassador was stationed in Stockholm.
In August 1995, the Swedish government decided to close the embassy in Kinshasa, Zaire. The embassy officially closed on 15 December, as part of cost-saving measures implemented for the foreign service. In its place, an honorary consulate general was established in Kinshasa on 1 November 1995. Two years later, in October 1997, the Swedish government announced plans to reopen a Swedish embassy in Kinshasa. In February 1998, Eva Emnéus was appointed counselor at the embassy in Kinshasa. Her appointment in the spring reinstated the chargé d'affaires position, which had been vacant since December 1995. Three years later, a resident ambassador was once again accredited in Kinshasa.

## List of representatives

| Name | Period | Title | Notes |
| Republic of the Congo (1960–1971) |||||
| Axel Lewenhaupt | 1962–1963 | Ambassador | |
| Dag Malm | 1964–1967 | Ambassador | Also accredited to Cameroon, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo (all three from 1965). |
| Olof Bjurström | 1967–1971 | Ambassador | Also accredited to Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea (from 1969), Gabon, and the People's Republic of the Congo. |
| Republic of Zaire (1971–1997) |||||
| Henrik Ramel | 1971–1976 | Ambassador | Also accredited to Cameroon (from 1972), Equatorial Guinea (from 1973), Gabon (from 1972), and the People's Republic of the Congo (from 1972). |
| Ragnar Petri | 1976–1979 | Ambassador | Also accredited to Cameroon, Gabon, and the People's Republic of the Congo (from three from 1977). |
| Karl Henrik Andersson | 1979 – November 1982 | Ambassador | Also accredited to Cameroon (from 1980) and Gabon (from 1980). |
| Erik Häggström | 1982–1985 | Chargé d'affaires and Embassy Counsellor | |
| Karl Henrik Andersson | 1983–1984 | Ambassador | Resident in Stockholm. Accredited to Cameroon, Central African Republic (from 1983), Gabon, People's Republic of the Congo (from 1983), and Zaire. |
| Olof Skoglund | 1985–1990 | Ambassador | Resident in Stockholm. Accredited to Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon (from 1987), People's Republic of the Congo (from 1986), and Zaire. |
| Hans Ahlberg | 1985–1989 | Chargé d'affaires and Embassy Counsellor | |
| Lars Ekström | 1988–1993 | Chargé d'affaires and Embassy Counsellor | |
| Bengt Rösiö | 1990–1992 | Ambassador | Resident in Stockholm. Accredited to Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Congo, and Zaire. |
| Carl-Erhard Lindahl | 1992–1997 | Ambassador | Resident in Stockholm. Accredited to Cameroon, Cape Verde (from 1994), Central African Republic, Chad (from 1996), Congo (from 1994), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau (from 1994), and Zaire. |
| Ove Svensson | 1994–1995 | Chargé d'affaires and Embassy Counsellor | |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo (1997–present) |||||
| Carl-Erhard Lindahl | 1997–2001 | Ambassador | Resident in Stockholm. Accredited to Cameroon, Cape Verde (until 1999), Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo (from 1998), Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Guinea-Bissau (until 1999). |
| Eva Emnéus | 1998–2000 | Chargé d'affaires and Embassy Counsellor | |
| Erik Backman | 2000–2001 | Chargé d'affaires and Minister | |
| Robert Rydberg | 2001–2003 | Ambassador | Also accredited to Cameroon (from 2002), Central African Republic, Chad (from 2002), Equatorial Guinea (from 2002), Gabon (from 2002), and Congo (from 2002). |
| Magnus Wernstedt | 2003–2007 | Ambassador | Also accredited to Cameroon (from 2004), Central African Republic (from 2004), Chad (from 2004), Equatorial Guinea (from 2004), Gabon (from 2004) (from 2004), and Congo. |
| Helena Rietz | 2007–2008 | Ambassador | Also accredited to Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Congo. |
| Johan Borgstam | 2009–2011 | Ambassador | Also accredited to Cameroon, Central African Republic (from 2010), Chad, Equatorial Guinea (from 2010), Gabon (from 2010), and Congo. |
| Mette Sunnergren | 2011–2013 | Ambassador | |
| Annika Ben David | 2013–2016 | Ambassador | |
| Maria Håkansson | September 2016 – 2019 | Ambassador | |
| Henric Råsbrant | 1 September 2019 – 2024 | Ambassador | Also accredited to Gabon. |
| Joakim Vaverka | 2024–present | Ambassador | |

## Footnotes

* ↑ The source lists the address as Avenue Trois Z in Kalina.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"' Avenue Trois Z was renamed Avenue De Lemera, and Kalina was renamed Gombe in 1971. In the 1960s, the residence was located at 89 Avenue Lippens.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"'
* ↑ Sveriges statskalender (1999), p. 184 states the year 1992.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000004F-QINU`"' Vem är det (2001), p. 690 states the year 1994,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000050-QINU`"' which is also stated in Sveriges statskalender (1995), p. 182.
* ↑ Sveriges statskalender (1999), p. 181 states the year 1992.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000052-QINU`"' Vem är det (2001), p. 690 states the year 1994'"`UNIQ--ref-00000053-QINU`"' which is also stated in Sveriges statskalender (1995), p. 179.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000054-QINU`"'