Uvira Territory

Uvira Territory is a territory in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is bordered by Walungu Territory to the north, Mwenga Territory to the west, Fizi Territory to the south, and Burundi and Lake Tanganyika to the east. Its capital is Uvira.

Located in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), It comprises 14 districts that together form Uvira. The territory is home to Kalundu Port, which connects Uvira to Kalemie in the north of Tanganyika Province, as well as Kigoma in Tanzania. Uvira is situated 120 km away from Bukavu, 88 km from Baraka in Fizi Territory, and 26.5 km from Bujumbura. The main road in the territory is the RN5, which connects to the city of Bukavu in the north and to Lubumbashi in the south.

Geography
Uvira Territory is located between 29° and 29°30’ E (longitude) and 3°20’ and 4°20’ S (latitude). It sits at an elevation between 800 and 900 meters above sea level. The terrain is primarily mountainous and hilly, with the Mitumba Mountains extending along its western border. These mountains, part of the Albertine Rift, contribute to the picturesque landscape of the area. The highlands are covered in lush green vegetation, including forests and savannahs, which provide habitat to a wide array of plant and animal species.

Hydrology
The Ruzizi River links Lake Kivu to Lake Tanganyika, serving as a significant water body in the region. It provides water for irrigation and supports agricultural activities. The river collects water from several rivers originating from the hills of Burundi and the western part of the Ruzizi Plain. The most important rivers in the Congolese part are the Luvimvi River in Katogota, the Luvubu River in Lubarika, the Luvungi River in Luvungi, the Luberizi River in Luberizi, the Sange River in Sange, and the Runingu River in Runingu in the Uvira Territory. The rivers found in the city of Uvira include the Kiliba Rivers (which flow into the Ruzizi), Kavimvira, Mulongwe, and Kalimabenge. These three large rivers cross the city of Uvira and flow directly into Lake Tanganyika. Rainfall is abundant throughout the year, with two main rainy seasons, contributing to the formation of numerous streams and runoff that eventually reach the rivers and the lake. The hilly terrain and permeable soils allow for the infiltration of water, replenishing groundwater aquifers that serve as vital water sources for domestic and agricultural use.

Geology
The Albertine Rift contributes to the mountainous and hilly terrain observed in Uvira Territory, with the Mitumba Mountains along the western border displaying evidence of intense folding, faulting, and uplift. These mountains are composed of sedimentary, metamorphic, and volcanic rocks. The region has also experienced volcanic activity, as remnants of volcanic rocks like basalt and rhyolite indicate past eruptions. Sedimentary deposits, such as sandstone, shale, and limestone, attest to the accumulation of materials in marine, lacustrine, and fluvial environments. Furthermore, the territory exhibits various soil types, ranging from very sandy to sandy loam and occasionally sandy clay. In the northwestern basin of Lake Tanganyika, there are outcrops of very old (Precambrian) and very recent (Quaternary) rocks.

Early history
The Bazoba fishermen were the first to settle in the region. They settled along the shores of Lake Tanganyika and relied heavily on the lake's resources for their sustenance and livelihoods. In the 17th century, the Banyalenge immigrants, led by their chief Lenge, settled in the region around Lake Tanganyika, coming from Lwindi near the Ulindi River in the mountainous hinterland. Over time, they became known as the Bavira.

Following the establishment of the Bavira, the Bahamba clan of the Fuliiru people migrated to the area alongside eight other clans. According to Alfred Moeller de Laddersous, the Bahamba (Wahamba) clan changed their eponym to Bafuliiru. Consequently, the Bafuliiru clashed with the Bavira at the Kiliba River, after which the Bafuliiru established themselves north of the Bavira and partially within Bavira territory. They had their own paramount leader who did not depend on the Bavira paramount. The Bafulirru gradually occupied several localities in Uvira, intermarried with Bavira, and some were assimilated into Fuliiru clans.

Barundi and Banyarwanda immigration
In the second half of the 19th century, Banyarwanda and Barundi pastoralists from the mountainous regions of Rwanda and Burundi settled in the area. They were accommodated by Fuliiru chiefs and established themselves in Vira and the Fuliiru territories of Mulenge and Upper Sange. During the colonial era (1908–1960), the region hosted a second wave of immigrants who arrived as part of the Mission d'immigration des Banyarwanda (MIB), a movement to transplant Banyarwanda to the Belgian Congo driven by the Belgian colonial authorities who needed a workforce in European plantations and the mines of Union Minière du Haut Katanga. In 1928, the Belgian colonial power created new chiefdoms for Barundi, Banyarwanda, and the Arabized populace in the territory of Bafuliiru. The creation of these chiefdoms was met with fierce resistance by Mwami Mahima Mukogabwe, a Fuliiru chieftain of Bafuliiru Chiefdom (Chefferie de Bafuliiru), who considered it an encroachment on the authority of his chiefdom.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the region hosted a third wave of immigrants during the Rwandan Revolution, a period which experienced the abolition of the Rwandan monarchy and the establishment of a Hutu-dominated government. Consequently, numerous Tutsis who were affiliated with the oppressive monarchy, including their Umwami (King), sought refuge in neighboring countries such as Uganda, Congo-Léopoldville, and Tanzania, resulting in their mass exodus. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) facilitated the settlement of refugees in historically significant sites such as Lemera, Mulenge, and Katobo, mirroring the locations where their predecessors sought refuge in the 19th century. Many of these refugees ended up dispersing throughout various parts of the Kivu Region and settling in some of its most remote and inaccessible areas.

Administrative aspects
The Uvira Territory was established on March 28, 1912, through a royal decree as part of the territorial organization of the Belgian Congo, specifically within the Kivu District. The name and boundaries of the territory were defined by Ordinance laws, specifically Ordinance N°4/A./.MO dated March 21, 1932 (which implemented the royal decree of March 28, 1912), and Ordinance N° 44/A./.MO dated December 2, 1938, modified by Ordinance N°67/221 dated May 3, 1967.

Presently, the Uvira Territory is one of the eight rural regions that make up the former South Kivu Subregion, with Uvira being its former capital. It is now an integral part of South Kivu Province, which gained provincial status in 1988.

Administrative subdivisions
In 2009 Uvira Territory was divided into three cities (cités), which were further subdivided into 32 quarters (quartiers). Additionally, there are three chiefdoms (chefferies), which where further divided into 16 groupings (groupements), and three management positions (postes d'encadrement).

Conflict and insecurity
Over the course of three decades, the region has been plagued by a series of armed conflicts and persistent political instability. Competition over land, resources, and political control have contributed to heightened tensions and rampant violence in the territory. Furthermore, the reverberating effects of conflicts in neighboring countries, including Burundi and Rwanda, have periodically exacerbated insecurity in the region.

During the Rwandan genocide, the Uvira Territory housed a substantial number of Hutu refugees, along with ex-FAR/Interahamwe elements and Burundian CNDD-FDD rebels, who were escaping the advance of the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) and sought safety and sanctuary in the territory.

First Congo War
At the beginning of the First Congo War, the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (AFDL), a rebel coalition led by Laurent-Désiré Kabila, received support from the RPA and the Forces Armées Burundaises (FAB). Their involvement in pursuing Hutu refugees and overthrowing Mobutu Sese Seko's government was marked by human rights abuses. These abuses were driven by Mobutu's authoritarian regime, which marginalized, discriminated against, and persecuted Banyamulenge. Policies implemented by Mobutu's government specifically targeted Banyamulenge, denying them political, social, and economic opportunities. Banyamulenge were accused of aligning with external forces of Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and Tanzania and used this as a pretext for persecution. This led to harassment, arbitrary arrests, violence, and forced expulsions. Such mistreatment, combined with other forms of discrimination and human rights abuses, intensified opposition to Mobutu's regime. Tutsis from Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi rallied behind this opposition, seeking an end to discriminatory practices and the establishment of a more inclusive and just political system. However, the RPA, AFDL, and FAB faced accusations of committing human rights violations. Reports indicate that these forces engaged in indiscriminate attacks on civilians, extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, and forced displacement. They targeted Hutu refugee camps in eastern Zaire, where large populations of Hutu civilians were living in dire conditions. Consequently, the actions of the RPA contributed to civilian casualties and exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the region. On October 6, 1996, the AFDL and members of the Banyamulenge-led armed group committed a massacre at Lemera Hospital in Uvira Territory, South Kivu Province. Numerous patients, including Hutu refugees, Zairian soldiers, and Zairian civilians perished as a result. The UN Mapping Report estimates that about 37 persons were killed in their beds with bayonets or gunshots. During the night of October 13 to 14, 1996, the AFDL and Banyamulenge armed units killed four refugees and injured seven others in the Runingu camp in Uvira Territory. Moving on to October 20, 1996, AFDL/APR/FAB units killed approximately 100 Burundian and Rwandan Hutu refugees in Itara I and II refugee camps near Luvungi village in Uvira Territory. In the neighboring village of Katala, they captured and killed refugees at point-blank range who were attempting to flee. The soldiers then compelled local people to bury the bodies in mass graves. On the same day, October 20, 1996, AFDL/APR/FAB units killed an unspecified number of refugees, including around twenty in the camp's hospital in Kanganiro camp at Luvungi in Uvira Territory. They also killed an unknown number of refugees who had sought shelter in the homes of Zairian civilians at Luvingi. Additionally, on October 20, 1996, AFDL/APR/FAB units killed an unknown number of refugees and Zairian civilians who were fleeing towards Burundi in Rubenga village of Uvira Territory. The victims' bodies were then discarded in the Ruzizi River. Moving forward to October 21, 1996, AFDL/APR/FAB units killed an unknown number of Rwandan and Burundian refugees, as well as Zairian civilians who were trying to escape the village after the departure of the FAZ in Lubarika village of Uvira Territory. The soldiers forced local people to bury the bodies in four large mass graves. On the same day, soldiers also burned thirty refugees alive in a house in Kakumbukumbu village, five kilometers from Lubarika camp in Uvira Territory. Furthermore, on October 21, 1996, AFDL/APR/FAB units killed around 370 refugees in Luberizi and Mutarule. The soldiers disposed of the victims' bodies in pit latrines, while other bodies were found in houses in the two towns.

The AFDL/APR/FAB units continued to launch attacks against Hutu refugees in various parts of Uvira Territory, including Kagunga, Uvira, Kiliba, Ndunda, Ngendo, Mwaba, Bwegera, Sange, Rwenena, Kahororo, 8th CEPZA (Pentecostal Community of Zaire) Church, COTONCO, Rukogero, and Ruzia.

By May 1997, the AFDL and Banyamulenge armed forces had taken over large swaths of the nation and captured the capital, Kinshasa. Laurent-Désiré Kabila took over as president after Mobutu left the country, dubbing it the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Second Congo War
In the Second Congo War, the region experienced intense armed conflicts, turning it into a major battleground. After assuming power in 1997, Laurent-Désiré Kabila's government faced accusations of marginalizing and discriminating against Tutsis. Kabila's government excluded Tutsis from positions of influence and power, leading to a sense of exclusion and resentment among the Tutsi population. This exclusionary policy caused discontent and sparked tensions, particularly with Rwanda and Uganda, as they had supported Kabila's rise to power. In response, a faction of Tutsi soldiers, with the support of Rwandan and Ugandan armies, formed a rebel group known as the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) aimed at overthrowing President Laurent-Désiré Kabila. During the war, various factions, including government forces, rebel groups, and foreign militias, committed atrocities and human rights abuses. Civilians, regardless of their ethnicity, suffered during the conflict, with widespread displacement, sexual violence, and other war-related atrocities affecting communities across the country.

On August 6, 1998, the Rally for Congolese Democracy–Goma (Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie-Goma; RCD-Goma), a faction of the RCD, killed tens of civilians in Uvira in Uvira Territory. Hundreds of victims were killed during confrontations, while others were executed in search operations after the fighting ended. The soldiers also perpetrated acts of rape against women during these operations. Additionally, on August 6, 1998, elements of RCD-Goma killed 13 people, including the chief of the Kiringye area, in the village of Lwiburule, located 53 kilometers northwest of Uvira. Moreover, on August 6, 1998, elements of the RCD-Goma and RPA killed 15 people in the area around Kivovo, Kigongo, and Kalungwe villages, located 11 kilometers south of Uvira in Uvira Territory. In the Uvira Territory town of Katogota on May 14, 2000, RCD-Goma carried out a massacre that left more than 300 people dead.

Efforts to end the war gained traction in 2002, resulting in the signing of the Sun City Agreement in South Africa. The agreement aimed to establish a transitional government and a roadmap for peace and stability in the DRC. The war officially concluded in July 2003 with the signing of the Global and All-Inclusive Agreement on Transition in Kinshasa. However, despite the formal end of the conflict, the region continued to face significant challenges in achieving lasting peace and stability. Armed groups persisted in the eastern hills and high plateaus, perpetuating violence and instability.

In June 2014, around 35 people were killed in an attack in the South Kivu village of Mutarule. The attack was apparently part of dispute over cattle.

Agriculture
Agriculture is the cornerstone of the regional economy. The sector contributes significantly to employment, income generation, food security, and trade within the territory and beyond. The reliance on agriculture is particularly pronounced due to limited industrialization and the predominance of rural communities. Small-scale farmers and agricultural laborers form a significant portion of the local workforce, especially in Kijaga, Kalungwe, Kitundu, Kabindula, Katala, Kagando, and Muhungu, where agricultural fields are present. Subsistence farming dominates this agricultural activity. Additionally, the livestock sector employs a considerable number of people engaged in animal husbandry and veterinary services.

The commercial circuit of the population in the city of Uvira and its surroundings is reliant on the sale of agricultural products and basic necessities from Bukavu, Burundi, Tanzania, and Zambia. However, limited access to modern farming technologies, inadequate infrastructure, and weak market linkages hinder the sector's full potential. Insufficient transport networks, storage facilities, and processing units limit the efficiency of agricultural value chains and hinder farmers' ability to reach broader markets. Government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and development partners collaborate to provide technical assistance, training programs, and financial support to farmers.

Languages
The predominant languages are Swahili, Kifuliiru, Kivira, and Kijoba. Kifuliiru is predominantly spoken from Kiliba to the Ruvimvi River, while Kijoba is spoken from Kalyamabenga to Sanza, historically serving as the boundary between Vira and Bembe communities. Kivira, a hybrid language resulting from the convergence of Kifuliiru and Kijoba, is spoken from Kalyamabenga to Kiliba. Additionally, other languages such as Mashi, Kibembe, and Kinyarwanda are present in the territory, albeit in a secondary capacity. Notably, Swahili acts as the unifying language, transcending these diverse groups and serving as the most widely spoken language in the region.

Municipalities
The territory has three rural municipalities with less than 80,000 voters:


 * Kiliba, (29,127 voters, 7 councillors)
 * Luvungi, (24,378 voters, 7 councillors)
 * Sange, (32,279 voters, 7 councillors)

University institutions

 * Université Notre Dame de Tanganyika (UNDT)
 * Uvira Community University (UCU)

Higher institutions

 * Institut Supérieur de Commerce (ISC-Uvira)
 * Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales d'Uvira (ISTM-Uvira)
 * Institut Supérieur Pédagogique d'Uvira (ISP-Uvira);
 * Institut Supérieur de Développement Rural d'Uvira (ISDR-Uvira)

The most secondary schools

 * Institut Mwanga D'uvira
 * Complex School Nuru
 * Institut Zawadi Ya Rais
 * Lycée Umoja d'Uvira
 * Institut Kitundu
 * Institute Kalundu
 * Institute D'uvira
 * ITAV Kasenga
 * Institut Mgr Guido Maria Conforti
 * Institut Du Lac
 * Institute Notre Dame Aux Larmes

The most famous primary schools

 * Primary School Les Anges Du Ciel (Ep les Anges);
 * École Primaire Action Kusaidia (Ep Action Kusaidia);
 * École primaire de Nuru (Ep Nuru);
 * École primaire de Munanira (Ep Munanira);
 * École primaire Kasenga (Ep Kasenga).

The best-known secondary schools in rural communes

 * Institut Langala (Kiliba)
 * Institut Kyamate (Sange)
 * Institut Ndunda (Ndunda)
 * Institut Usalama (Sange)
 * Institut Taraja (Kiliba)
 * Institut Vijana (Luberizi)
 * Institut Adelia (Sange)
 * Institut Ufunuo (Sange)
 * Institut Ushindi (Kiliba)
 * Institut Itara (Luvungi)
 * Institut Mulangaliro (Luvungi)
 * Institut Umoja/Katogota (Luvungi)
 * Institut Neema (Luvungi)

Health facilities

 * Lemera Hospital
 * Hôpital Général de Référence d'Uvira
 * Hôpital Général de Reference de Kasenga
 * Centre Medicale Sos Village Uvira
 * Centre de Santé Mentale d'Uvira (CSMU)
 * Saint Luc
 * Rutasoka Clinic
 * CSDT Kavimvira
 * Centre de santé de référence Saint Charles borromee
 * Fondation Mukende