Numbi | |
|---|---|
  Numbi | |
| Coordinates: 1°47′17″S28°53′38″E / 1.788°S 28.894°E | |
| Country |  DR Congo |
| Province | South Kivu |
| Territory | Kalehe |
| Chiefdom | Buhavu |
| Population (2014) [1] | |
| • Total | 11,000 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (CAT) |
Numbi is a town in Kalehe Territory in South Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The town is located up on a plateau in a remote area, only accessible on foot or motorcycle. It developed around mining in the early 2000s when global mining prices for minerals spiked. The population grew over the years, supplemented by a large number of internally displaced persons fleeing violence in the hinterlands. [1]
In 2015, a solar-powered cell phone tower was carried 27 km by foot and brought cell phone service to the town for the first time. [2] The commercial success of the original Vodacom tower led other carriers to also offer services in the town. There is a hospital in Numbi which treats about 2,300 patients a month for issues like childhood malnutrition. [3]
Geologically, the area falls into the Kibaran Belt, and has granite and pegmatitic rocks which contain ores of tin, tungsten, tantalum, and niobium. [4] [5] As of 2018, there were about 12 active sites for coltan and cassiterite, all conducted as artisanal open pit extraction from eluvial deposits. [6]
As of 2010, smuggling from Numbi was common, with minerals carried out of the area nightly by small-time smugglers in 50 kg sacks. [7] In an effort to clean up the industry, president Joseph Kabila announced a ban on mining in the eastern provinces. [8] This was later lifted.
Around 2014 and 2015, there was a significant increase in tourmaline mining, reportedly employing the majority of miners at Numbi. [9]
At least six of the mine sites near Numbi are covered by a mining permit (PE 2598) owned by Société Aurifère du Kivu et du Maniema (SAKIMA), first granted in April 1999. [10] The six sites (Misumari, Fungamwaka, Madame, Mungwe, Koweit and Kajojo) were visited in a March 2015 validation process. These sites are mainly worked by the artisanal mining group Coopérative des Exploitants Artisanaux Miniers dans les Hauts Plateaux de Numbi – Buzi (COPAMIHANUBU). The exclusive right to buy minerals from these mines is owned by the company AMUR. [11]
During the colonial period, the Havu Mwami Hubert Sangara, who had been taken prisoner by Kigeli IV Rwabugiri and raised in the Kingdom of Rwanda, sought to consolidate control over the Numbi area, and with the support from the Belgians, settled many Banyarwanda in the area of the mineral-rich cinq collines (five hills: Numbi, Lumbishi, Luzirandaka, Ngandjo and Shanje). Sangara's moves to bring the area under his control were resisted by the (Ba)tembo people who also sought control over the area. [12]
Spillover violence from the 1993 war in Masisi Territory led to open conflict between the autochthonous Tembo people and the Banyarwanda who had previously lived in the same areas. Tembo fled the highlands, and the Banyarwanda achieved de facto local autonomy by recognizing the authority of Mwami Raymond Sangara, an ethnic Havu. [13]
Mining at Numbi was a significant source of revenue for the rebel group Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) during the two Congo wars. A 2008 report from the NGO International Peace Information Service claimed income from the Numbi mines likely made its way to a variety of armed groups, including the PARECO, FDLR, and CNDP. [14] As of 2012, several militia groups were active in the area, including Mai Mai Nyatura, Mai Mai Kichiriko and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). [15]
In 2020, a group of 120 Nyatura militia stationed in Numbi who had previously surrendered to government forces decided to take up arms again after being treated poorly for about two months. [16]
South Kivu is one of 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Its capital is Bukavu.
The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda is an armed rebel group active in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. As an ethnic Hutu group opposed to the ethnic Tutsi influence, the FDLR is one of the last factions of Rwandan rebels active in the Congo. It was founded through an amalgamation of other groups of Rwandan refugees in September 2000, including the former Army for the Liberation of Rwanda (ALiR), under the leadership of Paul Rwarakabije. It was active during the latter phases of the Second Congo War and the subsequent insurgencies in Kivu.
The mining industry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo produces copper, diamonds, tantalum, tin, gold, and more than 70% of global cobalt production. Minerals and petroleum are central to the DRC's economy, making up more than 95% of the value of its exports.
Masisi Territory is a territory which is located within the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its political headquarters are located in the town of Masisi.
The Kivu conflict is an umbrella term for a series of protracted armed conflicts in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo which have occurred since the end of the Second Congo War. Including neighboring Ituri province, there are more than 120 different armed groups active in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Currently, some of the most active rebel groups include the Allied Democratic Forces, the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo, the March 23 Movement, and many local Mai Mai militias. In addition to rebel groups and the governmental FARDC troops, a number of national and international organizations have intervened militarily in the conflict, including the United Nations force known as MONUSCO, and an East African Community regional force.
Walikale Territory is a territory located within the Congolese province of North Kivu, in the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The headquarters are in the town of Walikale. The locality is situated between Bukavu and Lubutu on DR Congo National Road No. 3 in the valley of the river Lowa, 135 km to the west of Goma.
Bisie, divided into Mpama North and Mpama South deposits, is a tin deposit in the Walikale territory of the province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The mine was formerly an illegal source of an estimated 15,000 tons of tin, or 4% of global production. In early 2018 artisanal mining activity has stopped, and Alphamin Resources Corp., an exploration company, based in Mauritius, is leading an exploration of the site.
Bunyakiri is a town located in the high plateau of Kalehe Territory in the South Kivu Province in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Bunyakiri is nearby the Bulehe and Mulamba villages. It is mainly inhabited by Tembo, Havu, Twa and Hunde ethnic groups.
Kabare Territory is a territory in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the western side of Lake Kivu.
Minova is a town in the Kalehe Territory, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is an important business center for farm-fishery products. It is very close to Idjwi Island, Masisi Territory, Lake Kivu on its North Western shore and is only 45 km from the Goma city. The town's development is linked with important refugee-related history, including those from Rwanda in 1994, those from Masisi in 1992–1997, and other surrounding areas in northern South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is known for being the site of the systematic rape of refugees by DRC troops. WE actually find many local organisations involved in the management of Gender Based Violence (GBV) working tirelessly to restore dignity to women and girls who were raped( Panzi Foundation DRC is one of them, and it is very active in Buzi -Bulenga area).
Raïa Mutomboki or Raiya Mutomboki are a Mai-Mai militia operating in the South Kivu region in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The group formed in 2005 to fight against Rwandan Hutu groups such as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) as part of the Kivu conflict.
Nduma Defense of Congo—Renovated is an armed militia group operating in north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo which controls large parts of North Kivu province. It has been a major participant of the Kivu conflict since its 2014 split from the Nduma Defense of Congo.
This a timeline of the Kivu conflict during 2020.
The Rubaya mines, also known as the Bibatama Mining Concession, is a series of coltan mining sites near the town of Rubaya in Masisi Territory, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Officially, the mining license is held by Société Minière de Bisunzu Sarl (SMB), associated with Congolese senator Édouard Mwangachuchu. Specific sites include Bibatama D2, Luwowo, Gakombe D4, Koyi, Mataba D2, Bundjali, and Bibatama D3.
Lulenge constitutes one of the four sectors within the Fizi Territory of South Kivu Province, situated in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Geographically positioned adjacent to the Kiloba and Makena villages at an elevation of 943 meters, the sector's administrative center is Kilembwe. Lulenge is delineated to the north by the Itombwe sector and Mwenga Territory, to the east by Lake Tanganyika and the Mutambala sector, to the south by the N'gangya sector, and to the west by Shabunda Territory.
Kasheke is a village strategically located in the Kalehe Territory near Lake Kivu in the South Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Kasheke is 1,475 meters above sea level and is close to Bulengo, Kamabale, Tchofi, and Kabamba villages. The village is occupied by a small population of Bantu agriculturists and fishermen, including the Havu, Tembo, Shi, and Fuliiru people.
The Nyatura, also known as Mai-Mai Nyatura, and officially called the Collective of Movements for Change, are a group of Congolese Hutu militias that operate in the Kivu region of the Congo.
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 domain, excluding the populace within the displaced sites of Kahe and Mungote adjacent to Kitchanga in the Masisi Territory.
Between January 24 and 26, 2023, M23 rebels and Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) soldiers fought over the city of Kitshanga. The battle was part of the renewed M23 offensive, and ended on January 26 with M23 forces capturing the city. Civilians accused both M23 and FARDC-aligned militias of war crimes during and after the battle.
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.