| Ikela | |
|---|---|
  Ikela Location in Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| Coordinates: 1°11′S23°16′E / 1.183°S 23.267°E Coordinates: 1°11′S23°16′E / 1.183°S 23.267°E | |
| Country |  |
| Province | Tshuapa |
| Population (2005) | |
| • Language | Lingala |
Ikela is a market town in Tshuapa, Democratic Republic of Congo, lying on the Tshuapa River east of Boende. Founded by Belgium in the early twentieth century as a trading post, it became an important local centre. It is the headquarters of the Ikela Territory.
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the Middle Ages, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city. On the European continent, a town may be correctly described as a "market town" or as having "market rights", even if it no longer holds a market, provided the legal right to do so still exists.
Tshuapa is one of the 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its capital is the town of Boende.
The Tshuapa or Ruka River is a river in DR Congo, a tributary to the great Congo River, about 1000 km long. The middle Tshuapa is navigable and about 150 m across. It flows northwest from Katako-Kombe town to XX cataracts, then west to Mbandaka, where it merges with the Congo.
The town was largely destroyed in the Second Congo War, being for many years under siege from Congolese Rally for Democracy forces. Its population of 15,000 almost all fled, but around half have since returned to reconstruct it.
The Second Congo War began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August 1998, little more than a year after the First Congo War, and involved some of the same issues. The war officially ended in July 2003, when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power. Although a peace agreement was signed in 2002, violence has continued in many regions of the country, especially in the east. Hostilities have continued since the ongoing Lord's Resistance Army insurgency, and the Kivu and Ituri conflicts.
A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from Latin: sedere, lit. 'to sit'. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static, defensive position. Consequently, an opportunity for negotiation between combatants is not uncommon, as proximity and fluctuating advantage can encourage diplomacy. The art of conducting and resisting sieges is called siege warfare, siegecraft, or poliorcetics.
Ikela is served by Ikela Airport. [1]
