Kilungutwe River
Kilungutwe River, June 2013
Location
CountryDemocratic Republic of the Congo

The Kilungutwe River is a watercourse located in the Mwenga Territory of the South Kivu Province, situated in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).[1] With an elevation of 882 meters, it functions as a tributary to the Ulindi River. Following the confluence with the Ulindi River approximately 30 km northwest, the Ulindi River proceeds on its course, eventually joining the Congo River.[2][3][4] The Kilungutwe River was historically known as the gateway to the jungle from the highlands to the northeast.[3][5]

The river is a habitat for various species, including catfish, tilapia, and Clarias anguillaris. Further downstream, the Kilungutwe village is rich in biodiversity, with luxuriant vegetation and a diverse range of flora and fauna. The river is also a regional economic component and a substantial water source for irrigation and fishing.[6][7][8]

History

The Kilungutwe River has been traditionally occupied by several Bantu ethnicities, including the Lega, Bembe, Shi, Fuliiru, Nyindu, and Vira people.[9][10]

Kasika massacre

The Kilungutwe River was a strategic site for Kasika massacre survivors who were subsequently accosted and murdered by the Rally for Congolese Democracy (Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie; RCD), a Rwandan-backed armed group. Many victims were hacked to death with machetes or other sharp objects, with a smaller fraction being shot.[11] Parenthetically, some women were raped before being disemboweled with daggers from their vaginas, with their children being banged on walls and thrown into toilets or along the river.[12][13][14][15][16]

See also

References

  1. "Bukavu : Joseph Kabila clôture sa visite au Sud-Kivu". Radio Okapi (in French). 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  2. Bulletin des séances, Volume 1, Issues 1-6 (in French). Paris, France: Académie royale des sciences coloniales. 1955. pp. 667–675.
  3. 1 2 Stearns, Jason (March 27, 2012). Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa. New York, New York: PublicAffairs. p. 257. ISBN 9781610391597.
  4. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  5. "Des Hydrocarbures et de l'environnement" (PDF) (in French). Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. 2016-06-23. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  6. Association française pour l'avancement des sciences (1953). Actes du congrès, Volume 72 (in French). Secrétariat de l'Association. p. 379.
  7. Yamada, Takako (1984). Nyindu Culture and the Plant World : The Dynamic Relationship between the Knowledge on Plant Use and the Change in House Form. Kyoto, Japan: Kyoto University.
  8. "KILUNGUTWE Geography Population Map cities coordinates location - Tageo.com". www.tageo.com. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  9. Biebuyck, Daniel P. (1981). Statuary from the Pre-Bembe Hunters: Issues in the Interpretation of Ancestral Figurines Ascribed to the Basikasingo-Bembe-Boyo. Tervuren, Belgium: Royal Museum of Central Afrika. pp. English, French, and Dutch.
  10. Biebuyck, Daniel P. (1973). Lega Culture; Art, Initiation, and Moral Philosophy Among a Central African People. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 3. ISBN 9780520020856.
  11. "IV: Eastern Congo: Findings". www.hrw.org. 1999. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  12. "RDC: 22 ans après le massacre, retour à Kasika où la blessure des charniers reste vive". RFI (in French). 2020-09-04. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  13. "RDC: polémique après un tweet de l'ambassadeur du Rwanda sur le massacre de Kasika". RFI (in French). 2020-08-26. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  14. "Life for women in the country that 'never turned the page of conflict'". The Independent. 2019-06-12. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  15. "ACHPR, Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda | How does law protect in war? - Online casebook". casebook.icrc.org. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  16. "20 Years On from the Kasika Massacre, Women Survivors Share Their Stories | Women For Women". Women for Women International. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
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