![]() | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(March 2018) |
Julien Paluku Kahongya | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Governor of North Kivu | |
In office 27 January 2007 –22 February 2019 | |
President | Joseph Kabila |
Preceded by | Eugène Serufuli Ngayabaseka |
Succeeded by | Feller Lutaichirwa Mulwahale (Acting) |
Personal details | |
Born | 13 December 1968 |
Political party | Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social (formerly) |
Alma mater | College of Rural Development Free University of the Great Lake Region |
Website | http://www.julienpaluku.com/ |
Julien Paluku Kahongya (born 13 December 1968) is a Congolese politician. He served as the governor of the province of North Kivu from 27 January 2007 to 22 February 2019.
Paluku's father,Paluku Kyavuyirwe,was born in the territory of Lubero. Paluku attended primary school at Nyamitwitwi (Rutshuru) and high school at Nyamilima (Rutshuru). He graduated from the College of Rural Development in Bukavu in 1993 and obtained a master's degree in Community Health at the Free University of the Great Lake Region,Campus of Butembo in 2005.
He taught at Nyamilima from 1988 to 1989 and in Goma from 1994 to 1998. He is a former member of the Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social.
In 1996,when AFDL entered Goma on Friday 1 November,Paluku was a teacher at Mikeno College. At "Liberation",he attended a training seminar on the management of the country. He then participated in the second year of military training at the training center of Rumangabo.
After this training,he became leader of the provincial office of AFDL,in charge of ideology,and at the same time the coordinating secretary of the political and military managerial staff of that organization.
In August 1998,he joined the Congolese gathering for Democracy (RCD). In October 1998,he was posted to Lubero as the territory assistant administrator in charge of administration.
In May 1999,RCD broke into parts and Lubero became a territory of RCD-ML. He was appointed at the electoral commission secretariat to organize the elections of the mayor of the new town of Butembo.
In October 1999,he was appointed administrator of Lubero territory,succeeding Sikuly'Uvasaka Makala,elected mayor of Butembo. He served as Lubero administrator until 3 March 2003.
Paluku's mandate centered on:
Paluku was appointed mayor of the town of Butembo,succeeding Eric Kamavu (DRC Ambassador to Angola from 2006 to 2009) who became a Minister in the government of RCD/K-ML,located in Beni. He made efforts in putting up a town hall in Butembo in partnership with the Federation of Entreprises of Congo (FEC). In 2003,he initiated the building of the first public parking,the only one in the province of North Kivu. He repaired the main roads to give it a form of a town with round-abouts and sewerage. He built the Cugeki bridge. It was inaugurated on 2 July 2005.
Paluku resisted the progress of the troops of RCD/Goma which camped at the gate of Butembo in June 2003.
Following the reunification of the country,Paluku was named mayor of Beni on 9 July 2005 and officially assumed function on 18 July 2005. He restored refuse collection,repaired bridges,built offices for services and put up a building for the town of Rwenzori.
During his mandate,Paluku got a degree in Health and Community Development at the Free University of the Great Lakes Region (ULPGL).
In 2006,Paluku was elected member of the provincial assembly for the constituency of Butembo on the list of Forces of Renewal with 38,800 votes along with 160 candidates.
On 27 January 2007,Paluku was elected Governor of North Kivu by the provincial assembly of 42 deputies,with 25 votes for and 17 votes against.
The five-year programme focused on:
On 28 November 2011,he was elected member of the National Assembly for the territory of Lubero.
In 2012,just after the legislative and presidential elections,Lahongya created the political party called BUREC (United Block for the Renaissance and Emergence of Congo).
In 2014 the province of North Kivu for the first time produced an equivalent of one million American dollars against a monthly average of 200 to 400 thousand dollars from 2009 to 2013.
He is the founder of the local media operation of Butembo RTVH,a big media house in the region.
In 2007,his election as the first Governor provoked criticism. He took part in radio debates,notably on Okapi Radio,the UN radio that is broadcast country-wide. In 2006,he was appointed spokesman of provincial governors.
In 2008,he was directly implicated in the assassination of Albert Prigogine,a Congolese descendent of the Belgium Nobel Prize winner Ilya Prigogine,by a credible witness. He was accused along with businessmen M. Musanganya,against whom Mr Prigogine had won a judgement ruled by the Supreme Court over a land dispute,of having planned the murder. Mr Paluku specific involvement according to witnesses included providing a secure location and armed officers to execute the plot as well as working against investigators to cover up the murder. [1]
Despite overwhelming evidence tying him to the murder,he has yet to face any repercussions for his direct involvement.
He was accused of ignoring the practical concerns of his station office,instead focusing exclusively on the defense of national territory alongside the armed forces.
In November 2011,he gave electoral support to Joseph Kabila,a candidate who was rejected by the population of eastern Congo. This damaged his popularity. To make matters worse,while CGD/K-ML chair Mbusa Nyamwisi was the presidential candidate,Kahongya chose to campaign for the Majority. He then abandoned Nyamwisi,leading to some top leaders of the old rebellion RCD/KLM to call Palaku an opportunist.
He was attacked as a Catholic who was at the basis of this diabolic machine against Mbusa Nyamwisi. He was accused of collusion with the M23 rebellion that started in April 2012. Nyamwisi was thrown out of the National Assembly in Kinshasa for his supposed links with Rwanda to destabilize the East,along with his colleague Roger Lumbala.
Paluku was accused of embezzling public funds by using provincial projects to enrich himself. The misappropriation of at least 6 million American dollars by the provincial leadership was one of the charges that were used for different censure motions.
Muhindo Nzangi Butomdo and Vahamwiti,who accused Paluku of misappropriation of 6 million,had lost to Paluku in the gubernatorial elections in 2007. Vahamwiti was elected as a provincial deputy in 2006 from Lubero for SMR (Social Movement for Renaissance) with Butondo. When Paluku was elected Governor,SMR launched a campaign to remove him.
North Kivu is a province bordering Lake Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its capital is Goma. The 2020 population was estimated to be 8,147,400.
The term Mai-Mai or Mayi-Mayi refers to any kind of community-based militia group active in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that is formed to defend local communities and territory against other armed groups. Most were formed to resist the invasion of Rwandan forces and Rwanda. Groups that fall under the umbrella term "Mai-Mai" include armed forces led by warlords,traditional tribal elders,village heads and politically motivated resistance fighters. Because Mai Mai have only the most tenuous internal cohesion,different Mai-Mai groups allied themselves with a variety of domestic and foreign government and guerrilla groups at different times. The term Mai-Mai refers not to any particular movement,affiliation or political objective but to a broad variety of groups.
Goma is the capital and largest city of the North Kivu Province in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is located on the northern shore of Lake Kivu,next to the Rwandan city of Gisenyi. It shares its borders with Bukumu Chiefdom to the north,Rwanda to the east,Masisi Territory to the west,and is flanked by Lake Kivu to the south. The city lies in the Albertine Rift,the western branch of the East African Rift System,and is only 13–18 km (8.1–11.2 mi) south of the active Nyiragongo Volcano. With an approximate area of 75.72 square kilometers,the city has an estimated population of nearly 2 million people according to the 2022 census,while the 1984 estimate placed the number at 80,000.
Butembo is a city in North Kivu,in the north eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,on the Rwenzori graben and west of Virunga National Park. The city is an important commercial centre with large markets,a cathedral,multiple large hospitals,and an airport. It is the city where live the most prosperous businessmen of the East of the country. The city is located in a region known for tea and coffee growing. As of 2024 it had an estimated population of 154,621.
Eugène Serufuli Ngayabaseka is a Congolese politician,the ex 2nd Vice President of the Congolese Rally for Democracy-Goma and was the governor of Nord-Kivu province from July 31,2000 until 2007,when was succeeded by the RCD-K-ML candidate,Paluku Kahongya Julien.
The Congolese Rally for Democracy,also known as the Rally for Congolese Democracy,is a political party and a former rebel group that operated in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It was supported by the government of Rwanda,and was a major armed faction in the Second Congo War (1998-2003). It became a social liberal political party in 2003.
Kanyabayonga is a town straddling the Lubero and Rutshuru territories of North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Administratively,the part which is in Lubero is the commune of Kanyabayonga and,the part in Rutshuru belongs to the Kanyabayonga groupement (grouping) which extends well south of the town and is within the Bwito chiefdom. The region as a whole has seen much armed conflict since 1993.
The Congolese Rally for Democracy–Goma was a faction of the Congolese Rally for Democracy,a rebel movement based in Goma,Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the Second Congo War (1998–2003). After the war,some members of the group continued sporadic fighting in North Kivu. The movement also entered mainstream politics,participating in democratic elections with little success.
Rutshuru Territory is a territory in the North Kivu province of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),with headquarters is the town of Rutshuru.
Lubero is a town in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the administrative center of the Lubero Territory. Following the surrender of the Mai-Mai fighters in 2021,construction of a new market began in 2022,involving the mayor,ex-soldiers,"young people at risk and the vulnerable women". As of March 2014,the population of Lubero is not publicly known.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Goma,Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Mai-Mai Kyandenga is a Mai-Mai armed group operating in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It claims to protect the local population of Beni Territory and their land. It still remains unclear what the actual goal of the group is and how much it has in connection with the Union of Patriots for the Liberation of Congo (ULPC),Allied Democratic Forces (ADF),and other Mai-Mai groups operating in the area.
In late March 2022,the March 23 Movement (M23),supported by Rwanda,launched an offensive in North Kivu against the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and MONUSCO. The fighting displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians and caused renewed tensions between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.
Constant Ndima Kongba is a Congolese military officer who has served as the military governor of North Kivu since May 2021. Before this appointment,he had served in high-ranking positions in the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). In the Second Congo War (1998–2003),Ndima was a commander in the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo;in this role,he was involved in Operation Effacer le tableau,a campaign that resulted in genocidal massacres.
Yusufu Eric Mboneza,more commonly called Yusuf Mboneza,is or was a Congolese military officer and rebel. During his career he served in the Rally for Congolese Democracy,the National Congress for the Defence of the People,the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,and finally the March 23 Movement.
In late July 2022,anti-MONUSCO protests manifested in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The protests were against MONUSCO,the United Nations' peacekeeping force in the country,which has been accused by Congolese politicians and civilians of failing to take action to end the decades-old conflict within the country. The protestors demanded that MONUSCO leave the country.
Kinyandonyi is a village in the Rutshuru Territory of the North Kivu Province,Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinyandonyi is situated 10 km east of the city of Kiwanja in Bukoma groupement,in the Bwisha Chiefdom and 85 km north of the capital of the province Goma. The region is inhabited by the Hunde people as well as some remaining autochthonous populations of African Pygmies,including the Twa people and the Mbuti people. In addition to the Hunde,Twa,and Mbuti,there are other ethnic groups,including the Nyanga,Lega,Kumu,Hutu and Tutsi.
Kitchanga,also known as Kitshanga,is a town and a camp for Congolese Internally Displaced People (IDPs) strategically positioned between Masisi and Rutshuru territories of the North Kivu Province,with a vantage point overlooking Lake Kivu in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Administratively,the Masisi part of Kitchanga functions as a larger urban center and the capital of the Bashali Chiefdom,while the other part is situated in the Bwito Chiefdom of the Rutshuru Territory. Geographically,Kitchanga is located approximately 90 km northwest of Goma and 10 kilometers north of Burungu,in close proximity to the villages of Kizimba and Budey. As of 2015,the population of Kitchanga was estimated at 18,927 for the Masisi Territory part and 25,157 for the Rutshuru Territory,excluding the populace within the displaced sites of Kahe and Mungote adjacent to Kitchanga in the Masisi Territory.
The Bwito Chiefdom is a chiefdom located in the Rutshuru Territory of North Kivu Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is bordered to the north by Batangi Chiefdom and Kanyabayonga commune in Lubero Territory,Bwisha Chiefdom in the east,and to the north-east by Lake Edward and the Republic of Uganda. To the west,it is bordered by Bashali Chiefdom in Masisi Territory,and to the northwest by Wanyanga Chiefdom in Walikale Territory. To the south,it is bordered by Nyiragongo Territory.
The Bashali Chiefdom is a chiefdom located in the Masisi Territory of North Kivu Province in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Topographically,it is bounded to the east by the Virunga National Park,to the north by the Bwito Chiefdom of Rutshuru Territory,to the northwest by Walikale Territory,to the south by the Bahunde Chiefdom,and to the west by the Osso sector. Encompassing a total area of 1,582 square kilometers,the chiefdom is the administrative and sociopolitical structure for the Hunde ethnic group and is administratively subdivided into two groupements:Bashali-Mokoto and Bashali-Kaembe. Kitchanga,the urban center and administrative capital of the Bashali-Mokoto groupement,is the most densely populated locality within the chiefdom.