North Kivu
North Kivu
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 View of theRwenzori Mountains | |
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| Coordinates:0°34′S28°42′E/ 0.567°S 28.700°E | |
| Country |  Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Named for | Lake Kivu |
| Capital and largest city | Goma |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Peter Cirimwami(military)[1] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 59,483 km2(22,967 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 18th |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 8,147,400 |
| • Rank | 2nd |
| • Density | 140/km2(350/sq mi) |
| Demonym | North Kivutian |
| License Plate Code | CGO /19 |
| Official language | French |
| National language | Swahili |
| HDI(2017) | 0.440[2] low |
| Website | www |
North Kivu(Jimbo la Kivu KaskaziniinSwahili) is aprovinceborderingLake Kivuin the easternDemocratic Republic of the Congo.[3]Its capital isGoma.The 2020 population was estimated to be 8,147,400.[4]
North Kivu borders the provinces ofIturito the north,Tshopoto the northwest,Maniemato the southwest, andSouth Kivuto the south. To the east, it bordersUgandaandRwanda.
The province consists of three cities—Goma,ButemboandBeni—and sixterritories—Beni,Lubero,Masisi,Rutshuru,NyiragongoandWalikale.TheRwenzori Mountains,which form part of theAlbertine Rift,are located on the province's eastern edge, serving as a vital source of freshwater and sustaining a plethora offloraandfauna.[5][6]A project has been underway since 2013 to grant city status toKasindi,Oïchaand Luholu. The province is home to theVirunga National Park,aWorld Heritage Sitecontaining the endangeredmountain gorillas.
The province is politically unstable and has been one of the flashpoints of military conflict in the region since 1998.
From 2018 to 2020, North Kivu was the site of anEbola epidemic,which was compounded by political instability in the region.
History
[edit]The frontiers of theCongo Free Statewere defined by the Neutrality Act during the 1885Berlin Conference,in which the European powers staked out their territorial claims in Africa. The Congo Free State's northeastern boundary was defined in 1885 as "a straight line coming from the northern end ofLake Tanganyikaand ending at a point located on the 30th east meridian and at 1° 20' south latitude; further north, the border is formed by the 30th meridian east. "On this basis, all of Lake Kivu and both banks of theRuzizi Riverwere in the Free State.[7]
In June 1909,John Methuen Cootestarted theKivu frontier incidentwhen he travelled southwest from the BritishUganda Protectorateand established fortified camps atBurunguandRubonaon Lake Kivu.[7]British troops under Coote withdrew from the Rubona post on 29 June 1909, and the Belgians occupied the post.[8]After a series of incidents, the boundaries of the Congo, Uganda and Rwanda were settled in May 1910, with the eastern part of Kivu assigned to Uganda and the German colony of Rwanda.[9]
Kivu Districtwas created by anarrêté royalof 28 March 1912, which divided the Congo into 22 districts.[10]By 1954, Kivu District had been split intoSud-Kivu DistrictandNord-Kivu District.
The region was the scene of much fighting during theSecond Congo War(1998–2003) and theKivu conflict(2004–present).
On August 19, 2003, DRC government decree 019/2003 offeredLaurent Nkundathe rank of Brigadier General and command of the new Congo Government'sFARDCEighth Military Region, covering North Kivu. He declined. On May 26, 2004, General Obed Wibasira (RCD-Goma) was named to the position. But Wibasira was suspected of complicity with the soldiers in Goma who had triggered a mutiny in Bukavu in February 2004, and on January 23, 2005, he was switched withGabriel Amisi Kumba,at the time commander of the Fifth Military Region inKasaï-Oriental.[11]Kumba was named as a Brigadier General when taking up the post. General Louis Ngizo, a former commander of theRally for Congolese Democracy,was appointed a commander in November 2006. Brigadier General Vainqueur Mayala was transferred from command of the Ituri operational zone, promoted to Major General, and appointed military region commander in May 2007.[citation needed]Ngizo left Goma on May 13, 2007, his next posting not being known at the time. During late 2008, the FARDC maintained its dismal record in combat against Nkunda's CNDP faction, losing theRumangabomilitary camp to the rebels.
The dissidentMai-Mai85th Brigade, commanded by Colonel Samy Matumo, controlled thecassiteritemine atBisie,just north of Manoire inWalikale,in southeastern North Kivu.[12]The formerRCD-K/MLalso has fighters in the province; 'at the beginning of the transition [2002-3] the RCD-Mouvement de Libération president declared he had 8-10,000 Armée Patriotic Congolaise (APC) troops in the Beni-Lubero area of North Kivu.' This exaggerated figure seems to have been reduced to 'several thousand' (2-4,000?) as of early 2006, following demobilizations and men joining the integrated brigades.[13]
TheEffacer le tableauandBeni massacreoccurred in the province.
Approximate correspondence between historical and current province
[edit]| Belgian Congo | Republic of the Congo | Zaire | Democratic Republic of the Congo | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | 1919 | 1932 | 1947 | 1963 | 1966 | 1971 | 1988 | 1997 | 2015 |
| 22 districts | 4 provinces | 6 provinces | 6 provinces | 21 provinces + capital | 8 provinces + capital | 8 provinces + capital | 11 provinces | 11 provinces | 26 provinces |
| Bas-Uele | Orientale | Stanleyville Province | Orientale | Uele | Orientale | Haut-Zaïre | Orientale | Bas-Uele | |
| Haut-Uele | Haut-Uele | ||||||||
| Ituri | Kibali-Ituri | Ituri | |||||||
| Stanleyville | Haut-Congo | Tshopo | |||||||
| Aruwimi | |||||||||
| Maniema | Costermansville | Kivu | Maniema | Kivu | Maniema | ||||
| Lowa | |||||||||
| Kivu | Nord-Kivu | Nord-Kivu | |||||||
| Kivu-Central | Sud-Kivu | ||||||||
Geography
[edit]North Kivu bordersLake Edwardto its east withUgandaandLake Kivuto its southeast withRwanda.TheVirunga Mountainsextends through the province. The mountain range is the site of the volcanoesMount NyiragongoandNyamuragira,where approximately 40% of Africa's volcanic activity takes place, andVirunga National Park,which hostsmountain gorillas,anendangered species.
Human rights issues
[edit]
In October 2007, theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) warned of an increasing number ofinternally displaced people(IDP) in North Kivu related to thefightingthere between the governmentarmy,theDemocratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda(FDLR) rebels and renegade troops, includingLaurent Nkunda's forces, and a buildup of military supplies and forces, including recruitment ofchild soldiersby armed groups across North Kivu. The UNHCR thought that there were over 370,000 people in North Kivu displaced since December 2006, and is expanding its camps in theMugungaarea, where over 80,000 IDPs were estimated.[14]The brief capture of Goma byM23 rebelscaused "tens of thousands" of refugees. The town of Sake was abandoned.[15]
Localities
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"RDC: un nouveau gouverneur militaire intérimaire au Nord-Kivu".RFI.September 20, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 20,2023.
- ^"Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab".hdi.globaldatalab.org.RetrievedSeptember 13,2018.
- ^ Central Intelligence Agency (2014)."Democratic Republic of the Congo".The World Factbook.Langley, Virginia: Central Intelligence Agency.RetrievedMay 10,2016.
- ^"Congo (Dem. Rep.): Provinces, Major Cities & Towns - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information".citypopulation.de.RetrievedFebruary 11,2024.
- ^Travel, Love; Trekking, Gorilla (October 23, 2020)."Gorilla Trekking".Gorilla Trekking Tours Uganda.RetrievedJuly 28,2023.
- ^Kaufmann, Georg; Hinderer, Matthias; Romanov, Douchko (2016)."Shaping the Rwenzoris: balancing uplift, erosion, and glaciation"(PDF).Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany: Springer. p. 1762.RetrievedFebruary 13,2024.
- ^abLederer 1993,p. 2.
- ^Rutanga 2011,p. 70.
- ^Rutanga 2011,p. 89.
- ^Lemarchand 1964,p. 63.
- ^Jean Omasombo (ed.), RDC: Biographies des Acteurs de la Troisième République, Africa Museum, Bruxelles, 24-25.
- ^Polgreen, Lydia (November 16, 2008)."Congo's Riches, Looted by Renegade Troops".The New York Times.RetrievedApril 9,2010.
- ^International Crisis Group, Security Sector Reform in the Congo, Africa Report N°104, February 13, 2006, p.14
- ^"DR Congo: UN agency concerned at military buildup in North Kivu".UN News Service. October 5, 2007.RetrievedOctober 6,2007.
- ^Gordts, Eline (November 23, 2012)."PHOTOS: Tens Of Thousands Of Civilians Flee Goma".Huffington Post.
Sources
[edit]- Lederer, André (1993),"Incident de frontière au Kivu",Civilisations(in French),41(41): 415–426,doi:10.4000/civilisations.1730,retrievedFebruary 22,2021
- Lemarchand, René (1964),Political Awakening in the Belgian Congo,University of California Press, GGKEY:TQ2J84FWCXN,retrievedAugust 19,2020
- Rutanga, Murindwa (2011),Politics, Religion, and Power in the Great Lakes Region,African Books Collective,ISBN978-2-86978-492-5
Further reading
[edit]- Denis Tull, The reconfiguration of political order in Africa: a case study of North Kivu (DR Congo), Volume 13 of Hamburg African studies, Institut für Afrika-Kunde (Hamburg, Germany), GIGA-Hamburg, 2005,ISBN3-928049-90-9,ISBN978-3-928049-90-0,342 pages
External links
[edit]
- Official website
(in French) - Map of North Kivu
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