Uvira Territory

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Uvira Territory
Kiswahili
ClimateAw

Uvira Territory is a territory in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.[3] 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.[4]

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.[5][6] 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.[6]

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.[7][8] 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.[8][9] The highlands are covered in lush green vegetation, including forests and savannahs, which provide habitat to a wide array of plant and animal species.[10]

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.[11][12][13][14]

The Ruzizi River, July 2010
Uvira, Uvira Territory, South Kivu Province, May 2012

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.[15] 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.[15][16][17]

History

Early history

Instruments and utensils of Vira people, July 1860

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.[18][19][20][21]

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.[22][19]

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.[23][24]

Mining by the Union Minière du Haut Katanga, 1922. Many Banyarwanda were recruited for labor.

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.[25][26] 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.[27][28]

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.[29][26] 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.[30][31][32]

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.[33]

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.[33][34]

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).[33]

Cities (cités)

Cité of Uvira

14 quarters

Cité of Kagando/Kiliba

9 quarters

Cité of Sange

9 quarters

Kavimvira Rukangaba Musenyi
Rugenge Kawizi Kahungwe
Kasenga Kavunge Rutanga
Kakombe Butaho Nyakabere
Rombe I Hongero Nyakabere
Rombe II Rusabagi Kajembo
Kibondwe South Karava Nyakabere
Milongwe Kahorohoro Nyakabere
Kimanga Katwenge/Kiliba Kyanyunda
Nyamianda Kinanira
Songo Kibogoye
Kabindula Kahungwe
Kilibula
Kalundu

Chiefdoms (chefferies)

Bavira Chiefdom

7 groupings

Bafuliiru Chiefdom

5 groupings

The Ruzizi Plain Chiefdom

4 groupings

Kalungwe Lemera Luberizi
Makobola Itara/Luvungi Kabunambo
Kitundu Kigoma Kakamba
Katala Runingu Kagando
Kidjaga Muhungu
Kabindula
Bijombo

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.[35][36][37]

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.[38]

First Congo War