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Uvira Territory is a territory located in South Kivu in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Encompassing an area of roughly 3,146 kilometers and with a population estimate of 1,165,092 as of 2020, it is bordered by Walungu Territory to the north, Mwenga Territory to the west, and Fizi Territory to the south. The territory's southeastern boundary is defined by the Uvira, which attained city status on 13 June 2019, while the eastern perimeter adjoins the Burundi and Lake Tanganyika. Within the territory, Kiliba and Sange serve as significant towns.
Uvira Territory is administratively divided into three chiefdoms: the Bafuliiru Chiefdom, subdivided into five groupements; the Bavira Chiefdom, with seven groupements; and the Ruzizi Plain Chiefdom, comprising four groupements. The territory lies approximately 120 kilometers from Bukavu, 88 kilometers from Baraka, and 26.5 kilometers from Bujumbura. National Road 5 is the primary transportation artery, connecting Uvira with major cities such as Bukavu and Lubumbashi. The local economy is predominantly based on agriculture, livestock farming, fishing, and trade, particularly in agricultural produce and essential consumer goods.
The subsoil is rich in mineral resources, including cassiterite in Lemera and Luvungi, gold in Luberizi and Bijombo, aquamarine in Ndolera, iron in the Munanira Mountains, and amethyst in Kalungwe. Despite the significant mineral endowment, large-scale industrial exploitation remains absent. Instead, the mining sector is dominated by Artisanal mining, yielding considerable yet undocumented outputs through informal practices.
The region is also home to several medicinal plants valued by the local population, including Syzygium guineense, Tetradenia riparia, Plantago palmata, and Searsia pyroides. Some of these plants have been analyzed in vitro by Congolese scientists, revealing their phytochemical properties, though many remain understudied.
Demographic pressures and environmental degradation have significantly reduced terrestrial wildlife in the Ruzizi Valley and surrounding hills. Many species, including Antelope, Hippopotamus, Crocodile, and Water bird, have migrated mainly to Burundi, where they are now concentrated in the Rusizi National Park, managed by the Institut National pour l'Environnement et la Conservation de la Nature (INECN).
The territory experiences a pronounced biphasic seasonal cycle, characterized by distinct Wet season and Dry season. The dry season extends from May to October, characterized by minimal precipitation, except for occasional storms that provide some rain. In contrast, the wet season spans November to May, bringing sustained rainfall to the region.
Temperature patterns in Uvira Territory are influenced by the seasonal cycle. Monthly average temperatures fluctuate between 22.5°C and 25°C throughout the year. Peak maximum temperatures, ranging from 30.5°C to 32.5°C, manifest toward the conclusion of the dry season in September. Conversely, the lowest minimum temperatures, between 14.5°C and 17°C, are recorded during the middle of the dry season in July. Relative insolation levels also exhibit variability, with monthly averages oscillating between 35% and 60% during the wet season (October to April) and rising to 50% to 80% in the dry season (May to September). July typically records the highest levels of Solar irradiance.
| Vira people
7 groupings | Bafuliiru Chiefdom
5 groupings | Ruzizi Plain
4 groupings |
| Kalungwe | Lemera | Luberizi |
| Makobola | Luvungi | Kabunambo |
| Kitundu | Kigoma | Kakamba |
| Katala | Runingo | Kagando |
| Kidjaga | Muhungu | |
| Kabindula | ||
| Bijombo | | rowspan="2" |
| Kiliba | 29,127 | 7 |
| Luvungi | 24,378 | 7 |
| Sange | 32,279 | 7 |
| Uvira 1 | 346 | 194 |
| Uvira 2 | 269 | 109 |
| Total | 615 | 303 |
| ISC-Uvira ( Institut Supérieur de Commerce) |
| ISDR-Uvira ( Institut Supérieur de Développement Rural) |
| ISTM-Uvira ( Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales) |
| ISP-Uvira ( Institut Supérieur Pédagogique) |
| Lemera | 171,130 | 1 reference hospital, 5 community hospitals, 24 health centers; hospital has 90 beds, electrified, potable water; limited specialized care; supported by NGOs. |
| Haut-Plateaux | 149,185 | 1 reference hospital, 22 health centers; 46 beds; services include internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, surgery, and lab; mostly general practitioners; NGO-supported. |
| Uvira (City) | 324,456 | 1 general reference hospital, 3 community hospitals, 18 health centers; 443 beds; specialized services available; strong NGO and government support. |
| Ruzizi Plain (Sange) | 173,725 | 1 reference hospital, 5 community hospitals, 24 health centers; 139 beds; services include Gynaecology, pediatrics, internal medicine, Medical imaging; lacks permanent specialists; generator-powered. |
Following the establishment of the Vira people, the Bahamba clan of the Furiiru people migrated to the area alongside eight other clans. According to Alfred Moeller de Laddersous, the Bahamba ( Wahamba) clan changed their eponym to Bafuliiru. Consequently, the Bafuliiru clashed with the Bavira at the Kiliba River, after which the Bafuliiru established themselves north of the Bavira and partially within Bavira territory. They had their own paramount leader who did not depend on the Bavira paramount. The Bafulirru gradually occupied several localities in Uvira, intermarried with Bavira, and some were assimilated into Fuliiru clans.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the region hosted a third wave of immigrants during the Rwandan Revolution, a period which experienced the abolition of the Rwandan monarchy and the establishment of a Hutu-dominated government. Consequently, numerous who were affiliated with the oppressive monarchy, including their Umwami (King), sought refuge in neighboring countries such as Uganda, Congo-Léopoldville, and Tanzania, resulting in their mass exodus. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) facilitated the settlement of refugees in historically significant sites such as Lemera, Mulenge, and Katobo, mirroring the locations where their predecessors sought refuge in the 19th century. Many of these refugees ended up dispersing throughout various parts of the Kivu and settling in some of its most remote and inaccessible areas.
The following day, on 21 October, AFDL, RPA, and FAB forces attacked the Lubarika refugee camp and its surrounding village, killing an undetermined number of Rwandan and Burundian refugees, as well as Zairean civilians attempting to escape after the withdrawal of the Forces Armées Zaïroises (FAZ). Local residents were once again compelled to bury the bodies in four large mass graves. That same day, in the village of Kakumbukumbu, approximately five kilometers from Lubarika camp, thirty refugees were burned alive inside a house. Another large-scale massacre occurred at the Luberizi refugee camp, situated between Luberizi and Mutarule, where around 370 refugees were killed with heavy weapons, and their bodies discarded in Pit latrine. Additional killings took place in the villages of Luberizi and Mutarule, where more than sixty victims were found inside houses. On 24 October, AFDL, RPA, and FAB forces attacked the Kagunga refugee camp, killing an unknown number of refugees. Reports from direct witnesses confirmed at least eight deaths. Similar killings took place at the village of Hongero, located one kilometer from Kagunga, where refugees fleeing alongside Zaireans were targeted.
As AFDL, RPA, and FAB forces captured Uvira on the night of 24–25 October, effectively defeating the FAZ across the entire Uvira Territory, Burundian and Rwandan refugees scattered in multiple directions. Some fled toward Fizi Territory, continuing to North Katanga Province, Tanzania, or Zambia, while others sought escape routes through Kabare Territory and Walungu Territories. A significant number of Burundian refugees attempted to return to Burundi but were often intercepted at the Kiliba Sugar Refinery and nearby villages, including Ndunda, Ngendo, and Mwaba. On 25 October, AFDL, RPA, and FAB forces executed an unknown number of refugees hiding in abandoned dwellings in sectors 3 and 4 of the Kiliba Sugar Refinery. From this period onward, AFDL and RPA soldiers also began recruiting child soldiers in Uvira, Fizi Territory, and Bukavu. In Bukavu, recruitment was particularly concentrated at the AFDL headquarters in the Lolango Building on Avenue Maniema. These child recruits received basic military training in Kidoti, before being deployed to the front lines. Between 1–2 November, a massacre occurred in the village of Ndunda, near the Burundian border, where approximately 250 civilians—comprising more than 200 refugees and around thirty Zaireans—were indiscriminately killed. The refugees had sought shelter in Ndunda, hoping to receive protection from CNDD-FDD militiamen stationed nearby. During the attack, some attempted to escape by crossing the Ruzizi River, only to drown in the process. Additionally, Zairean villagers were executed under accusations of supporting the CNDD-FDD. On 24 November, in the village of Mwaba, AFDL, RPA, and FAB forces burned alive 24 Burundian Hutu refugees from the Biriba camp. Upon their arrival in the village, the soldiers rounded up its inhabitants, releasing Zairean civilians after interrogation but locking the Burundian refugees inside a house, which they then set on fire.
On 3 November, AFDL, RPA, and FAB forces burned 72 Rwandan refugees alive at the COTONCO headquarters near Bwegera, after detaining them under the pretext of repatriation. On 13 November, approximately 100 Burundian refugees were executed in the village of Ngendo, seven kilometers from Sange. On 8 December, in Rukogero, nine kilometers from Sange, AFDL, RPA, and FAB soldiers killed 13 male refugees from a group of 200 to 300 people who had fled the Kibogoye camp. The women and girls were allowed to leave, while the men and boys were executed and their bodies discarded in the pit latrines beside the 8th CEPZA church. Another massacre occurred on 12 December in the village of Ruzia, where 15 civilians—including refugees from the Luberizi/Mutarule camp and Zairean civilians—were killed during a military operation aimed at flushing out refugees hiding among the local population. Some victims were burned alive in a house, while others were shot, and their bodies were buried in three mass graves.
One of the most severe incidents took place on 22 December 1996, at Ruzia along the banks of the Ruzizi River. AFDL, RPA, and FAB soldiers killed at least 150 people, most of whom were refugees who had survived the Runingu camp attack. The victims, hiding in the forest, were discovered and executed, and their bodies were burned two days later. Another report suggested that the number of victims could have been as high as 600.
By May 1997, AFDL and Banyamulenge forces had seized control of large swaths of Zaire, culminating in the capture of the capital, Kinshasa. Mobutu fled the country, and Laurent-Désiré Kabila assumed power, renaming the nation the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That same month, in Uvira, AFDL and RPA units killed 126 civilians during a demonstration protesting the murder of eight individuals by suspected members of the newly established AFDL security forces. Following the massacre, soldiers sealed off the area and disposed of most of the bodies in two mass graves in the " Biens mal acquis" district, where they had set up their headquarters. Over the following days, residents recovered and buried eight additional bodies. In July 1997, soldiers from the Forces Armées Congolaises (FAC) and the RPA carried out another massacre, killing between 500 and 800 people in the villages of Kazumba, Talama, Mukungu, and Kabanga, located on the border between Katanga and South Kivu provinces. These villages had served as bases for the small-scale militia known as Jeshi la Jua (Swahili language for "Sun Army"), which was engaged in armed resistance against the new regime. The massacre was carried out in retaliation for a prior Jeshi la Jua attack that had resulted in a single fatality among FAC and RPA forces. The killings, which took place over several days, indiscriminately targeted combatants and civilians.
Tensions escalated in July 1998 when Kabila, fearing a coup d'état, dismissed Rwandan General James Kabarebe as Chief of Staff of the Congolese army and ordered all RPA soldiers to withdraw from Congolese territory. This decision provoked strong reactions from Rwanda and Uganda, which subsequently supported the formation of a new rebel faction, the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD). On 2 August 1998, mutinous Congolese troops allied with the RPA, the Ugandan People's Defence Force (UPDF), the FAB, and remnants of the ex-FAZ declared their rebellion via Radio-Télévision Nationale Congolaise (RTNC) in Goma. Within weeks, this coalition, now under the banner of the RCD, had seized control of major towns in North and South Kivu, Orientale Province, and North Katanga Province, and advanced into Équateur Province. However, its offensive in Kongo Central (now Kongo Central) and Kinshasa was repelled due to military intervention by Angola and Zimbabwe in support of Kabila. As a result, the country was effectively divided into two zones: one controlled by Kabila's government, backed by the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), the Forças Armadas Angolanas, the Namibia Defence Force (NDF), the Armée Nationale Tchadienne (ANT), and Sudan, and the other controlled by the armed wing of the RCD, the Armée Nationale Congolaise (ANC), alongside the RPA, UPDF, and FAB. The conflict grew increasingly complex, with Kabila forming alliances with Mai-Mai armed groups, the Burundian Hutu rebel group Forces pour la Défense de la Démocratie (FDD), and ex-FAR/Interahamwe forces, later reorganized under the Armée de Libération du Rwanda (ALiR), to counter the influence of the ANC and RPA in North and South Kivu. Meanwhile, Uganda, which controlled large parts of Orientale Province, established and backed the Mouvement pour la Libération du Congo (MLC), led by Jean-Pierre Bemba, to govern the territories it had captured in Équateur Province. By March 1999, tensions between Rwanda and Uganda over strategic differences led to a split within the RCD, resulting in a pro-Rwandan faction, RCD-Goma, and a pro-Ugandan faction, RCD-Mouvement de Libération (RCD-ML).
Although RCD-Goma's army, the ANC, rapidly occupied urban centers in South Kivu alongside the RPA, they, along with the FAB, faced difficulties in securing control over rural regions. The RCD's alignment with Tutsi and Banyamulenge communities, its dependence on Rwandan support, and the widespread violence committed by its forces alienated much of the local population. Many young men joined Mayi-Mayi armed groups or helped form new militias, such as Mudundu 40 in Walungu Territory. Some of these groups allied with the ex-FAR/Interahamwe and the Hutu armed factions that had reorganized under the ALiR, as well as the Burundian Hutu group CNDD-FDD. While certain Mayi-Mayi factions, such as General Padiri's division in Bunyakiri and Colonel Dunia's Forces d'Autodéfense Populaires (FAP) in Shabunda Territory, received arms and financial support from Kinshasa to coordinate their operations, most groups operated independently. In response to attacks by Mayi-Mayi forces, the ANC, RPA, and FAB troops intensified search operations, engaged in widespread sexual violence, and systematically targeted civilians. massacre]] On 6 August 1998, ANC, RPA, and FAB units killed tens of civilians in Uvira. Hundreds of victims died while attempting to flee combat zones or were executed during search operations following the fighting. Soldiers also committed mass rapes during these operations. That same day, ANC forces executed 13 people, including the chief of Kiringye, in Lwiburule. Other victims were killed in the chief's house. Also on 6 August, the ANC and RPA forces massacred 15 civilians in the villages of Kivovo, Kigongo, and Kalungwe. Victims were stabbed or shot near the main port in Kalundu and at SEP Congo facilities, with local youth and Red Cross members later forced to bury the dead in mass graves.
Between 30 December 1998, and 2 January 1999, ANC, RPA, and FAB soldiers killed more than 800 people in the villages of Makobola II, Bangwe, Katuta, Mikunga, and Kashekezi in Fizi Territory. The massacres included acts of pillaging and destruction, with women, children, Red Cross volunteers, and religious leaders among the victims. Some were burned alive in houses set ablaze by the soldiers. On 14 May 2000, the ANC committed another mass killing in the village of Katogota, where they arrived in trucks and systematically executed villagers. Some were shot, while others were burned alive in their homes. Access to the village was restricted for days as soldiers burned bodies and disposed of them in the Ruzizi River. Reports estimate the death toll exceeded 300 or 400. On 12 September 2000, ANC forces based in Mutarule attacked a bus between Rubanga and Sange, killing 16 civilians. They also executed at least three people in the village of Katekama near Sange.
By early 2002, violence persisted, with ANC and RPA forces carrying out massacres in South Kivu. Between 17 and 20 people, including a baby and two minors, were killed in the village of Kaboke II in the Tanganyika area of Fizi Territory. Some were shot upon returning to the village, others were killed while hiding in the bush, and several were burned alive when their homes were set ablaze. Around the same period, a rebellion emerged within the Banyamulenge community in Minembwe, led by former ANC commander Patrick Masunzu. His Forces Républicaines et Fédéralistes (FRF) allied with Mayi-Mayi groups operating in Mwenga, Uvira, and Fizi Territories and launched attacks against ANC and RPA positions with support from the Congolese government. Despite tensions, the Inter-Congolese Dialogue commenced on 25 February 2002 in Sun City, South Africa. On 19 April, Joseph Kabila and Jean-Pierre Bemba, announced a framework power-sharing agreement, which gained widespread support except from the RCD-Goma and several unarmed opposition parties, including the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS). On 30 July 2002, the Congolese and Rwandan governments signed a peace accord in Pretoria, outlining the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from the DRC in exchange for the dismantling of the ex-FAR/Interahamwe and other Hutu armed groups within the FDLR. A similar agreement was signed with Uganda in Luanda on 6 September, leading to the withdrawal of Ugandan forces and efforts to stabilize the Ituri district. By September 2002, troops from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, and Uganda began withdrawing from Congolese territory.
As Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) retreated, Mayi-Mayi militias and the FDLR reoccupied villages, expanding their territorial control in South Kivu. In response, ANC and RDF launched a series of offensives to reclaim lost ground. On 20 October 2002, following the recapture of Uvira, ANC soldiers engaged in widespread atrocities, including rapes and killings in the town and surrounding villages, particularly in Runingu, Kiliba, Sange, Ndunda, Luvungi, and Kamanyola. Under mounting international pressure, the parties involved in the Inter-Congolese Dialogue signed the Global and All-Inclusive Agreement in Pretoria on 17 December 2002. Toward the end of that year, senior figures in the RCD-Goma engaged in negotiations with a political faction of the Mudundu 40 Mayi-Mayi movement, led by Odilon Kurhenga Muzimu and Patient Mwendanga. The negotiations aimed to facilitate the withdrawal of RDF from Walungu Territory in exchange for the political cooperation of Mudundu 40, which would aid in dismantling its own military wing, commanded by Albert Kahasha (Foka Mike). However, when the negotiations concluded in December, the RCD-Goma appointed Patient Mwendanga as Governor of South Kivu, while the military wing of Mudundu 40, bolstered by support from Padiri Mayi-Mayi, reinforced its positions in the Burhale groupement. By March 2003, as the rapprochement between RCD-Goma and the political wing of Mudundu 40 failed to weaken its military counterpart, Mwendanga was dismissed from his post. The ANC, reinforced by RDF troops, launched an offensive against Mudundu 40 forces in Walungu Territory. Despite ongoing conflicts in North and South Kivu, as well as the deteriorating security situation in North Katanga and escalating militia warfare in Ituri Province, participants in the Inter-Congolese Dialogue ratified the Global and All-Inclusive Agreement in Sun City, South Africa, on 1 April 2003. This agreement included an additional memorandum outlining the integration of various armed factions into a unified national army. Transition institutions were formally established on 30 June 2003.
Between 5–13 April 2003, ANC and RDF forces launched heavy assaults on Mudundu 40 headquarters in Mushinga, targeting the villages of Mwegerera, Lukumbo, Karhundu, and Izirangabo within the Burhale groupement. The attacks resulted in the deaths of several civilians, the rape of at least 27 women, and the disappearance of six people. The forces systematically looted the villages before their departure, and numerous civilians and soldiers were buried in mass graves in Izirangabo, Butunza, and Kibirira near Walungu. In retaliation for the alleged support of Mudundu 40 by the local population, ANC forces deliberately destroyed educational institutions and healthcare facilities in the southern sector of Walungu. However, despite the formal end of the conflict, the region continued to face significant challenges in achieving lasting peace and stability. Violent unrest surged in August 2009 across the middle and high plateaus. The assaults, attributed to FDLR, increasingly focused on attacking civilians and troops from the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). Over five ambushes were reported, including a deadly attack on 3 August in which one civilian was killed and a soldier wounded, with assailants looting passengers' belongings before being forced to retreat by FARDC soldiers who returned fire. Additional incidents involved ambushes on Operation Kimya II convoys near Bwegera and the death of an FARDC officer in Mulenge. In response, Operation Kimya II deployed additional FARDC forces to secure affected areas and protect military personnel and civilians, as FDLR fighters and their families were reported regrouping in Igangu and Bibangwa/Kashengo within Kigoma groupement. In the same month, concern grew in the highlands of Bijombo and Kigoma groupements as civil society leaders reported an increase in collaboration between the FDLR and the Banyamulenge-led FRF, led by "Generals" Venant Bisogo and Michel Makanika Rukunda. FDLR fighters and their families, who had reportedly fled FARDC operations, had taken refuge in FRF-controlled areas, where they allegedly lived together, spoke cordially, and potentially engaged in joint patrols. The Kitoga market fell under their shared control, generating tax revenue, but rising insecurity forced residents to avoid it. Major Sylvain Ekenge of Operation Kimya II confirmed the FARDC viewed the two groups as a single enemy force to be countered through unified military action. In April 2010, clashes with Mai-Mai in Bijojo in Kigoma groupement and Mwenga Territory left two civilians dead. One Mai-Mai fighter was killed, and two others were injured.
On 21 October 2011, residents of Kahanda village in Lemera groupement fled in anticipation of the arrival of Mai-Mai Bede, an armed group loyal to Colonel Bede Safari, a former FARDC officer who defected in 2010. Despite the group's limited size, estimated at a few dozen fighters, their presence prompted the displacement of approximately 64 households, and although FARDC troops responded by attempting to pursue the group, the rebels evaded capture after receiving advance warning. In the days following these events, other violence was reported, including the killing of two nurses by unidentified armed men in Buhonde, the kidnapping of three civilians in Kalungwe, and the nighttime shooting of a traditional chief in Kitundu. In June 2014, around 35 people were killed in an attack in the village of Mutarule. The attack was apparently part of dispute over cattle. On 2 July 2014, a resident of Kitembe was killed in Kiriama, while the previous week, another person traveling on foot with a group through the Bibangwa forest en route to Mulenge was ambushed and killed by armed assailants in Kashengo. In Bijombo, two families from the same community, both in possession of military-grade weapons, exchanged gunfire in Chanzovu, Kagogo, and Mugogo over a dispute related to the forced marriage of a young girl, resulting in one death and four injuries. Local NGOs accused FNL rebels and FDLR fighters of supplying weapons to militias, including China-made AK-47 rifles reportedly sold for between Dollar sign40 and $50. By July 2015, six people had been killed within a month by unknown armed assailants in various areas, including Bwegera, Sange, Rukobero, Namijembwe, and Rushima. Among the victims were a man shot while returning home in Bwegera, a herder killed in Namijembwe, a middle-aged man in Sange, and the chief of Rukobero, who was murdered inside his residence. At the end of March 2017, FARDC and MONUSCO launched joint operations in the Kigoma groupement to target local militias amid rising insecurity, as civilians had been ambushed near Lubarika, two truck drivers were kidnapped in Nyakabere for ransom, and 16 farmers were briefly abducted in Kiliba Sugar Refinery by suspected Burundian rebels. The operations led to the deaths of four militiamen. On 1 April, eight militia fighters, led by Kivuwe Songa, surrendered to FARDC in the Bafuliiru Chiefdom highlands, handing over weapons and ammunition. Songa said they were tired of being hunted and expressed willingness to join the army or police. On 10 April 2018, FARDC forces killed Mai-Mai leader Espoir Karakara, linked to cattle theft and insecurity in the Ruzizi Plain, during a shootout in Rugeje village, Kigoma groupement. On 23 April, two Karakara group militiamen, one being his younger brother and new leader, were killed in a clash near the Kigoma groupement while attempting revenge. That same night, Mai-Mai fighters also carried out several kidnappings in Mahungubwe village near Lemera, including the abduction of Pastor Musavi Djuma from the 8th CEPAC by suspected Kihebe group members.
On 16 January 2019, a deadly clash in Kabere between Burundian rebel factions (such as FOREBU, RED-Tabara, and FNL) and pro-government Imbonerakure militia resulted in at least 17 rebels killed and one Imbonerakure fighter seriously wounded. The rebels were attacked in their positions with intense bombing and machine gun fire. Fighting began in Kabere, around 20 km west of Sange, and later spread to Mubere and Mulenge. Civilians fleeing to Sange and Kigoma reported seeing heavily armed men in Burundian army uniforms, believed to be Imbonerakure militiamen, present in their villages since 15 January. These fighters reportedly crossed the Ruzizi Plain with help from Mai-Mai Kijangala and advanced to the middle plateaus, while the Burundian rebels received support from Mai-Mai Kihebe. After being overpowered, the rebels retreated to the Kiriama highlands. On 22 January, the alliance of RED-Tabara, FNL, and Mai-Mai Kihebe was decisively defeated by Imbonerakure forces and their Congolese Mai-Mai allies, who recaptured all areas previously held by the rebel coalition in Kabere, Mubere, and Mulenge, in the Kigoma's middle plateau. After taking refuge in Kifuni village on 20 January, following intense combat in Mulenge, the rebel groups were forced out again on 22 January. According to the FARDC's 3304th Regiment, they withdrew further into the Kitavuka Mbegere bamboo forest near the Uvira-Mwenga Territory border. Clashes in Kihinga and Nabahuri on 20 January left four rebels and one Mai-Mai fighter dead, with another militiaman wounded. The violence triggered additional waves of displacement in the region. Further escalation occurred on 4 November, when inter-ethnic violence erupted in the village of Kirumba, located in the highlands of Bijombo groupement of Bavira Chiefdom. Clashes between the Gumino fighters and Mai-Mai militias resulted in house burnings, retaliatory attacks, and the killing of civilians, including a local church leader and two of his brothers. The violence triggered mass displacement among the Fuliru people, Nyindu people, and Banyamulenge communities. Some victims fled into the forest, while others moved toward the village of Mibula in the Babungwe-Nord groupement, within the Tanganyika sector of Fizi Territory. On the same day, Mai-Mai fighters launched a retaliatory attack against the Banyamulenge-occupied portion of Kirumba. Homes were burned, and community members fled to the MONUSCO base in Bijombo, where a temporary displacement site was established. As of that date, 103 households with a combined population of 524 were living at the site. Tragically, an elderly woman among the displaced died of malnutrition. In response to the escalating protection crisis, MONUSCO expanded its deployment of peacekeeping forces in November 2019. Static Combat Detachments ( Détachement Statique des Combats, SCD) were established in strategic and volatile areas. New outposts were opened in Bijombo and Kamombo (Tanganyika, Fizi Territory), supplementing the main MONUSCO base already in operation at Minembwe. These deployments aimed to strengthen civilian protection and enhance security in the conflict-affected highlands of Uvira, Fizi, and Mwenga Territories.
On 19 May 2020, eight Rwandan CNRD fighters turned themselves in to MONUSCO's DDR program in Sange, surrendering three Kalashnikov rifles. Among them were three minors. The group came from Njoleka village, 13 km west of Sange, where nearly 200 fighters were reportedly still hiding in the hills. Many were young and said they had no prior ties to Rwanda. The CNRD had recruited heavily from Rwanda, and FARDC forces had chased them from Kalehe Territory to Lemera and Sange, where the pursuit continued. The rebels confirmed cooperating with Mai-Mai Kijangala. Military sources from the 122nd Rapid Reaction Battalion stated that six fighters surrendered on 16 May with two AK-47s during a FARDC-MONUSCO patrol near Kigoma.
Despite these limitations, Uvira Territory produces a wide variety of Crop, including Irish potato, Sweet potato, cassava, maize, Bean, Cowpea, cabbage, eggplant, Tomato, Peanut, Banana, sorghum, Pumpkin, Carrot, amaranth, Onion, and Scallion.
Livestock farming benefits from the Ruzizi Plain's ideal conditions for raising animals, with growing demand spurred by population increases and the Bukavu market, leading to increased production of cattle, Pig, Goat, and poultry. Large-scale livestock rearing is primarily practiced in Luvungi and Sange, as well as among pastoralists operating in the Ruzizi Plain adjacent to Uvira. Small livestock and poultry farming are more broadly practiced, with significant activity observed in Luvungi, Sange, Makobola, Kigongo, and Uvira city itself.
Other businesses include Maison KASH/ND/Kazuba (hardware and tools), KAJ/NGA MUSAF/R/ Dépôt, Maison Mbuguje (oil distribution), AMI Congo, South Kivu Sugar Refinery, Maison Muchepe, Centre de Développement Communautaire de Kiringye (CDC-Kiringye), and Tanganyika Business Company. As of 2014, the territory registered 1,145 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) alongside 27 large-scale corporations operating in the territory. Enterprises like AMI Congo have seen moderate success. The local bureau of the Office de Promotion des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises Congolaises (OPEC) reports steady progress in the sector. Several businesses, including milling companies Minoterie MK and Tablisco, soap producer Yesu Ni Jibu, sawmill operator Mukulima, and bakery Katonie, have accessed financing through the Fonds pour la Promotion de l'Industrie (FPI).
Mount Munanira in the Bavira Chiefdom offers a summit water source and rugged terrain, though access is limited. Other sites include Petit Lac Lungwe and the Escarpment of Luhanga, situated approximately twenty kilometers from Uvira and extending to the shores of Lake Tanganyika, the Mwaba fish pond, noted for its fish population and natural rock bridge, and the Rulidja and Kaholoholo waterfalls in Marungu, Kigoma groupement.
Rail transport is no longer operational. The Compagnie du chemin de fer du Congo supérieur aux Grands Lacs africains (CFL), established in 1902 with a 78-kilometer railway, has been abandoned. Only derelict Hangar and rusted Railway track remain. Some rails have been repurposed as electric poles or sold for scrap. The territory also lacks Aviation infrastructure.
Cellular network coverage is provided by Airtel RDC, Orange RDC, Tigo RDC, and Vodacom in the city of Uvira, but rural zones, particularly the Ruzizi Plain, experience frequent signal outages.
With limited access to reliable electricity, urban residents increasingly turn to Gas generator and Solar panel, while rural areas are investing in micro-Hydroelectricity. A 2014 report identified 13 such installations in the territory, with six operational, five under construction, and two non-functional.
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