Kitchanga | |
---|---|
Location in the Congo | |
Coordinates: 01°15′8″S 29°3′32″E / 1.25222°S 29.05889°E | |
Country | DR Congo |
Province | North Kivu |
Territory | Rutshuru |
Time zone | UTC+2 (CAT) |
National language | Swahili |
Climate | Aw |
Kitchanga, also known as Kitshanga, is a town and a camp for Congolese Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in the Rutshuru Territory of North Kivu Province in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Kitchanga is located 119 kilometers north of Goma and 10 kilometers north of Burungu. It also lies near Kizimba and Budey villages.[1][2]
Subsistence farming is the main economic sector in the region. Local farmers cultivate crops such as maize, beans, potatoes, and various vegetables.[3][4][5] Livestock farming is also an integral part of the local economy. It provides a source of income, as well as dairy products, meat, and other by-products for local consumption and trade.[6][7][8] The region is also known for its mining activities, particularly the extraction of tin, tantalum, and tungsten.[9] Kitchanga is home to various service-oriented businesses, including healthcare facilities,[10][11] educational institutions[12][13] and hospitality establishments.[14][15]
Since 2012, Kitchanga has been affected by the protracted conflict that has engulfed the region, becoming a site of violence and mass displacement.[16][17][18][19] On 20 November 2012, the March 23 Movement (Mouvement du 23 Mars; M23) seized control over significant portions of North Kivu Province, eventually capturing the provincial capital of Goma.[20][21] The M23's reign was characterized by widespread human rights abuses, including the recruitment of child soldiers, the rape and sexual violence against women and girls, and the forced displacement of civilians. Consequently, Kitchanga has become a shelter for those fleeing violence while simultaneously serving as a contested town, a rebel stronghold, and a volatile battleground where clashes unfolded.[15][22][23][24]
Kitchanga was traditionally inhabited by the Hunde people. During the advent of Belgian colonial dominion, the Hunde community was structured into their newly-established self-governing entity, the "Hunde Chiefdom." This region was governed by Hunde's traditional chief, acting as an authoritative figure ensuring the colonial law and order enforcement.[25]
In the mid-1920s and 1930s, Belgian colonial empire orchestrated a Rwandan emigration mission to the Congo. The territory of Ruanda-Urundi, having been annexed as a protectorate under Belgian colonial rule, housed a dense populace, whereas the Belgian Congo, also under Belgian jurisdiction, encompassed regions marked by notably sparse population densities. The Belgian colonists favored the proclivity for the influx of these Banyarwanda transplanted laborers and migrants seeking sanctuary in the eastern precincts of the Belgian Congo as the local populations had vacated due to the coerced labor imposed by white farmers. The Banyarwanda were predominantly settled in strategic locations, namely Masisi in present-day North Kivu Province, Itombwe in present-day South Kivu Province, and the Vyura Mountains above Moba in Katanga Province.[26][27]
Consequently, the Belgian colonizers instituted "atypical chefferies [chiefdoms]" for Banyarwanda, including the establishment of the Bwisha Chiefdom and Gishari Chiefdom. These territories, covering an expanse of 34,910 hectares (350 km2), were procured by colonial authorities through duress in 1939 from the Bahunde chieftains, with the intent of providing habitation for Banyarwanda immigrants. In 1938, Mr. Leenaerts, a Belgian administrator transplanted from Ruanda-Urundi, made his way to the region with the charge of overseeing the welfare of the immigrants he had previously supervised in Rwanda.[28][29][30][25] After his visit, he was eventually succeeded by Chief Bideri from Rwanda, who, in turn, was replaced in 1941 by another Rwandan chief named Buchanayandi. The creation of these two chieftaincies and the appointment of Rwandan immigrants as traditional chiefs triggered ethnic conflicts between Banyarwanda immigrants and the Hundes, with the latter asserting their rightful claim to the land. In 1957, the Hundes reclaimed their entity of Gishari and successfully reintegrated it into the Hunde Chiefdom of Kishali, ultimately leading to the dissolution of Gishari Chiefdom.[30][31][28][32]
Over the last three decades, Kitchanga has faced significant security challenges, experiencing a myriad of violence, armed conflict and general instability that have had a significant impact on the local population.[33][34][35] During the Second Congo War, Kitchanga served as a stronghold of the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) with the aim of defying the Laurent-Désiré Kabila's government. Kabila's administration faced accusations of neglecting the security and well-being of Tutsis, as well as alleged collaborations with other armed factions. Concurrently, the RCD faced allegations of human rights violations, including the recruitment and exploitation of child soldiers, perpetration of sexual and gender-based violence, and forced displacement of civilians.[36]
Following the 2002 Pretoria Peace Agreement, the RCD underwent a significant transformation, reconfiguring itself as a political party and actively participating in the political process leading up to subsequent elections. RCD members failed to secure seats during the initial elections in 2006, leaving them without representation in provincial and national politics. Disenchanted by the outcome, a faction of discontented members spearheaded by Laurent Nkunda broke away from the RCD and formed the National Congress for the Defense of the People (Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple; CNDP), later re-established as M23 to maintain influence in Kinshasa and protect their economic and security interests in the eastern region.[37][15]
In November 2012, the M23 rebels engaged in armed conflict with the Congolese army, subsequently establishing dominance over significant territories within the North Kivu Province. The group seized control of towns, villages, and strategically vital areas, notably including Goma.[20] On November 21, 2012, the M23 rebels occupied Sake and gained control of the Kirolirwe axis as they advanced towards Kitchanga.[38] In response, MONUSCO deployed "robust patrols" to safeguard the civilian population and impede the advance of the M23 and Alliance of Patriots for a Free and Sovereign Congo (Alliance des Patriotes pour un Congo Libre et Souverain; APCLS) militants towards their base in Kitchanga.[39][40] Consequently, thousands of people were displaced and sought refuge in the Mungote IDP Camp in Kitchanga amid the clashes between the militants and a combined offensive launched by the Congolese army and a United Nations-backed intervention brigade.[41][42][33]
From February to March 2013, clashes between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and APCLS militiamen in Kitchanga resulted in 80 fatalities, hundreds injured and nearly a hundred thousand displaced.[43] The APCLS alleged that the government had failed to fulfill its commitment of integrating its fighters into the national army. Following the clashes, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) issued a plea to halt violence against Kitchanga's civilian population.[44] Ban Ki-moon, the former Secretary-General of the UN, urged the United Nations Security Council to authorize the deployment of an international intervention brigade in the region.[45]
On March 29, 2013, clashes between the APCLS and FARDC forces resulted in the deaths of 17 APCLS militiamen and one FARDC officer in Kitobo and Muhanga. The FARDC successfully ousted the militiamen from these areas, where they had established their positions near the city of Kitchanga, located 80 km northwest of Goma in the Masisi Territory in the North Kivu Province.[46]
On May 17, 2013, the Congolese National Police (Police Nationale Congolaise; PNC) were driven out from several localities in Kitchanga by the Mai-Mai Nyatura militiamen. One of the police chiefs acknowledged that the police force was not equipped for engaging with the militiamen and admitted that they had retreated when confronted by armed group combatants. In response, civil society called for the intervention of the army to remove the militias from the villages.[47] On May 18, 2023, the FARDC dislodged the militiamen from the Mbuyi and Kashanje hills towards Mwesso and the Nyatura of Noheri from the locality of Muhongozi 9 km from Kitchanga.[48]
The resurgence of APCLS and Mai-Mai Nyatura in various villages within Masisi Territory in October 2013 led to widespread displacement of the civilian population. The IDPs were accommodated in Kitchanga.[49]
On January 29, 2014, four individuals were killed by armed bandits in Kitchanga. John Banyele, the president of the coordination of the civil society of the Masisi Territory, condemned the killings, attributing them to "unidentified armed bandits". These armed bandits were also accused of killing the national police commander in Kitchanga, as well as a farmer and a teacher.[50]
On February 9, 2014, the FARDC launched a counter-offensive against the APCLS and their Nyatura allies in the villages of Kibarizo, Muhanga, and Butare, situated approximately twenty kilometers west of Kitchanga.[51] During the afternoon, the FARDC dislodged the APCLS from Kibarizo, Muhanga, and Butare in the Masisi Territory.[52]
On August 23, 2016, the APCLS and Mai-Mai Nyatura militias reached a peace agreement. The signing took place in Muhanga and was facilitated by two elected officials from Masisi, with the assistance of the police and security services. Both militias committed to working towards peace and the development of the Bashali Mokoto chieftaincy, which had been a source of contention between them.[53]
In February 2023, the M23 rebels took control of Kitchanga after capturing several villages on the road linking the city to the provincial capital Goma. The capture of Kitchanga led to a significant displacement of more than 450,000 people. Over 500 people, including women and children, sought refuge at the MUNESCO's basement in Kitchanga.[54][55][56]