Pweto Territory

Pweto Territory
Pweto Territory
	Houses along the road from Pweto to Dubie, Katanga
	Pweto Territory
	Coordinates: 8°28′00″S28°54′00″E / 8.46667°S 28.9°E Coordinates: 8°28′00″S28°54′00″E / 8.46667°S 28.9°E
Country	DR Congo
Province	Haut-Katanga Province
Area
• Total	22,673 km2 (8,754 sq mi)
Population (2020)
• Total	765,800
• Density	34/km2 (87/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (CAT)

Last updated May 06, 2023

Pweto Territory is a territory in the Haut-Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The headquarters are in the town of Pweto.

Geography

Pweto is part of Haut-Katanga Province. It lies to the west and north of Lake Mweru on the border with Zambia. The Luvua River, a headstream of the Congo River, leaves the lake just west of the town of Pwetu to flow north its confluence with the Lualaba River opposite the town of Ankoro.^[2] Other rivers flowing through the territory include the Lubule River, the Lumekele River and the Kilulishi River. The territory is subdivided into the following chiefdoms and sectors: Kiona-Nzini Chiefdom, Moero Sector, Mwenge Sector and Pweto Chiefdom ^[3]

Economy

The territory is agriculturally productive and the lake is rich in fish. There is no formal industry apart from the Dikulushi Mine near Kilwa, the capital of Moero Sector, operated by Anvil Mining, an Australian company. There is informal mining in other areas, including cassiterite pits at the village of Kapulo. The ore is exported through Zambia, bypassing customs posts.^[4]

Security issues

Pweto Territory saw several combats during the Congo wars. With the cease fire, the front line between the RCD-Goma and the Forces Armées Congolaise cut off the north of Pweto from the south.^[4] Although the civil war ended in 2003, the region has been severely damaged by the civil war and reconstruction has been slow. Most of the rural residents are returned refugees or internally displaced people from other regions. Basic government services are still not available, public infrastructure is in poor condition and the local economy is scarcely functional. Corruption and lack of confidence in stability are handicaps to investment.^[5]

The forests of Pweto territory were once home to thousands of pygmies, locally called Batembo, but only a few hundred families are left. Many of them fled or were killed by the Mai Mai militia of Gédéon Kyungu Mutanga between 2003 and 2006. Mutanga was later sentenced to death for of crimes against humanity, insurgency, and terrorism. The pygmies, many of whom have moved to towns and villages for greater security, are marginalized, subject to prejudice and discrimination.^[6]

A 2007 report said there was no longer any significant presence of Mayi-Mayi fighters in the territory, but one of the two remaining full FARDC brigades in Katanga was stationed in Pweto Territory. This brigade, the 62nd, had a reputation for harassing civilians and had been implicated in illegally exploiting the Cassiterite mine in Kapulo. The soldiers were said to engage in extortion, illegal taxation, forced labour, theft, torture and humiliation of civilians.^[4]

Gallery

Children outside a house on the road from Pweto to Dubie
Car being ferried across the Luvua River near Pweto

Related Research Articles

Ground transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has always been difficult. The terrain and climate of the Congo Basin present serious barriers to road and rail construction, and the distances are enormous across this vast country. Furthermore, chronic economic mismanagement and internal conflict has led to serious under-investment over many years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katanga Province</span> Former province in DR Congo

Katanga was one of the four large provinces created in the Belgian Congo in 1914. It was one of the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1966 and 2015, when it was split into the Tanganyika, Haut-Lomami, Lualaba, and Haut-Katanga provinces. Between 1971 and 1997, its official name was Shaba Province.

Lake Mweru is a freshwater lake on the longest arm of Africa's second-longest river, the Congo. Located on the border between Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo, it makes up 110 kilometres (68 mi) of the total length of the Congo, lying between its Luapula River (upstream) and Luvua River (downstream) segments.

The Lualaba River flows entirely within the eastern part of Democratic Republic of the Congo. It provides the greatest streamflow to the Congo River, while the source of the Congo is recognized as the Chambeshi. The Lualaba is 1,800 kilometres (1,100 mi) long. Its headwaters are in the country's far southeastern corner near Musofi and Lubumbashi in Katanga Province, next to the Zambian Copperbelt.

The Luvua River is a river in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It flows from the northern end of Lake Mweru on the Zambia-Congo border in a northwesterly direction for 350 kilometres (220 mi) to its confluence with the Lualaba River opposite the town of Ankoro. The Lualaba becomes the Congo River below the Boyoma Falls.

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-affiliated Congolese rebel groups, but some may have formed to exploit the war to their own advantage by looting, cattle rustling or banditry.

The Copperbelt is a natural region in Central Africa which sits on the border region between northern Zambia and the southern Democratic Republic of Congo. It is known for copper mining.

Articles related to the Democratic Republic of the Congo include:

The Dikulushi mine is a copper and silver mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located some 23 kilometres (14 mi) west of Lake Mweru and 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Kilwa in the Moero Sector of Pweto Territory, Katanga Province.

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.

Manono is a town and territory in Tanganyika Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Pweto is a town in the Haut-Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is the administrative center of Pweto Territory. The town was the scene of a decisive battle in December 2000 during the Second Congo War which resulted in both sides making more active efforts to achieve peace. Pweto and the surrounding region were devastated during the war. As of 2011 little had been done to restore infrastructure or rebuild the economy. The town is served by Pweto Airport.

The Kapulo mine is a cassiterite mine and a planned copper mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located near a village of the same name.

Moba Territory is a territory in the Tanganyika Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The administrative center is Moba port. The territory has an estimated area of 24,500 square kilometres (9,500 sq mi) and a population of almost 610,000.

Moero Sector is an administrative division of Pweto Territory in Haut-Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The headquarters are in the town of Kilwa.

Kilwa is a town, headquarters of Moero Sector, Pweto Territory, Haut-Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Anvil Mining was a copper producer that has been operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from 2002 to 2012. The company headquarters were in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Anvil was listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Australian Stock Exchange. As of September 2011 its major shareholder was Trafigura Beheer.

The Lukushi River is a tributary of the Luvua River. It runs from south to north through the Malemba-Nkulu Territory of Haut-Lomami Province and the Manono Territory of Tanganyika Province, passing the twin tin-mining towns of Kitotolo and Manono shortly before entering the Luvua.

The Katanga insurgency is an ongoing rebellion by a number of rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, some of which aim for the creation of a separate state within Katanga. While the insurgency has been active in various forms since 1963, insurgent groups have recently redoubled their efforts after the 2011 jail break that freed Gédéon Kyungu Mutanga, who commanded the majority of the Katangese separatist groups until his surrender to Congolese authorities in October 2016.

The Districts of the Belgian Congo were the primary administrative divisions when Belgium annexed the Congo Free State in 1908, each administered by a district commissioner. In 1914 they were distributed among four large provinces, with some boundary changes. In 1933 the provinces were restructured into six, again with boundary changes. The number of districts fluctuated between 12 and 26 through splits and consolidations, first rising, then falling, then rising again.

References

1 2 "Cellule d'Analyses des Indicateurs de Développement". caid.cd (in French). Archived from the original on 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
↑ "Carte des Districts et Territoires du KATANGA" (PDF). Reliefweb. April 2002. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
↑ X. Blaes (October 2008). "Découpage administratif de la République Démocratique du Congo" (PDF). PNUD-SIG. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-04-01. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
1 2 3 Steven Spittaels, Nick Meynen (2007). "Mapping interests in conflict areas: Katanga" (PDF). IPIS. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
↑ "Rebuilding livelihoods and social cohesion in Pweto, Katanga". GTZ. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
↑ Héritier Maila. "Democratic Republic of Congo: Persecuted pygmies driven from forest home". Africa Files. Retrieved 2011-10-30.

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[CAID-1] 1 2 "Cellule d'Analyses des Indicateurs de Développement". caid.cd (in French). Archived from the original on 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2023-03-25.

[2] "Carte des Districts et Territoires du KATANGA" (PDF). Reliefweb. April 2002. Retrieved 2010-10-30.

[RGC-3] X. Blaes (October 2008). "Découpage administratif de la République Démocratique du Congo" (PDF). PNUD-SIG. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-04-01. Retrieved 2011-11-02.

[Spittaels2007-4] 1 2 3 Steven Spittaels, Nick Meynen (2007). "Mapping interests in conflict areas: Katanga" (PDF). IPIS. Retrieved 2011-10-30.

[5] "Rebuilding livelihoods and social cohesion in Pweto, Katanga". GTZ. Retrieved 2011-10-30.

[6] Héritier Maila. "Democratic Republic of Congo: Persecuted pygmies driven from forest home". Africa Files. Retrieved 2011-10-30.

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