Bukavu

Bukavu
Coordinates	2 ° 31 ′ 0 ″  S , 28 ° 51 ′ 0 ″  E Coordinates: 2 ° 31 ′ 0 ″  S , 28 ° 51 ′ 0 ″  E
Basic data
Country	Democratic Republic of Congo
province	Sud-Kivu
height	1635 m
surface	40.3 km²
Residents	707,053 (2012 estimate)
density	17,549.1  Ew. / km²
founding	1901
politics
mayor	Philémon Lutombo Yogolelo
City center

Bukavu (1927–1954 Costermansville or Costermansstad ) is a city in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the southwestern bank of Lake Kivu , right on the border with Rwanda .

It is also the capital of the Sud-Kivu province and has a population of around 707,053 (July 2012 estimate).

geography

Geographical location

Bukavu is located in the Central African Sill at an average altitude of 1,600 m. The highest point in the city is the 2,194 m high Mbogwe and is located in the Bagira district, followed by the 1,800 m high Ruvumba . The city lies directly on the southwestern edge of Lake Kivu and is of course bounded in the east by the Ruzizi River .

climate

The climate is equatorial, but moderate due to the city's relatively high location. The eight-month rainy season prevails between September and May. Persistent heavy rains repeatedly lead to landslides.

Bukavu
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.     118   25th 15th     132   25th 15th     183   25th 15th     148   25th 16     74   25th 16     20th   25th 15th     13   26th 14th     56   27 15th     103   27 15th     144   25th 16     179   25th 15th     147   25th 15th Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm Source: wetterkontor.de

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Bukavu Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 25.4 25.3 25.3 24.9 24.9 25.4 26.1 27.1 26.5 25.4 24.8 24.7 O 25.5 Min. Temperature (° C) 15.4 15.4 15.4 15.6 15.7 14.8 13.8 14.7 15.4 15.6 15.4 15.4 O 15.2 Precipitation ( mm ) 118 132 183 148 74 20th 13 56 103 144 179 147 Σ 1.317 Hours of sunshine ( h / d ) 4.9 4.8 4.8 4.9 5.2 7.2 7.8 7.2 6.0 5.0 4.5 4.2 O 5.5 Rainy days ( d ) 16 17th 21st 20th 12 3 2 4th 12 17th 22nd 20th Σ 166 Humidity ( % ) 83 84 85 86 86 81 75 68 74 80 83 84 O 80.7 Source: wetterkontor.de

City structure

The Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix Roman Catholic Cathedral in the Ibanda district

Bukavu is divided into the three districts (so-called communes ) Ibanda , Bagira and Kadutu , with Bagira with 23.3 km² forming more than half of the urban area. These consist of a total of eleven so-called quarters . The current mayor has been Philémon Lutombo Yogolelo since 2010 . The city is also home to the governor and parliament of the South Kivu Province. There are numerous MONUSCO peace mission locations within the urban area .

Mayor since 1958

All mayors of the city of Bukavu with their term of office since 1958 are listed below.

• Emile Wilemaert 1958-1959
• Dejambline de Meux 1959-1960
• Paul Rugamanzi 1960–1961
• Alphonse Kasisi 1961
• Denis Maganga Igomokelo 1961–1964
• François Matabaro N'Vuzo 1964–1967
• Daniel Birimwiragi 1967–1968
• Floribert Sukadi Bulayi 1968-1970
• Grégoire Sedei Sekimonyo 1970-1971
• Gilbert Kibibi wa Lukinda Umo 1971–1974
• Mosha Kayembe Dibwa 1974
• André Lokomba Kumuadeboni 1974–1979
• M'lemvo wa Maduda Yeka 1979-1981
• André Lokomba Kumuadeboni 1981–1982
• Me Nyaloka zizi Mata-Ebongo 1982-1984
• Ndala wa Ndala 1984-1986
• Shango Okitedinga Lumbahe 1986–1988
• Shemisi Betitwa 1988-1991
• Migale mwene Malibu 1991-1996
• Thaddée Mutware Binyonyo 1996-2000
• Roger Safari Basinyize 2000-2003
• Adolphe Cirimwami 2003-2004
• Mathieu Ruguye Mbotwa 2004-2005
• Prosper Mushobekwa Nyalukemba 2005-2008
• Zita Kavungirwa Kayange 2008–2010
• Philemon Lotombo Yogolelo since 2010

history

Colonial times

The forerunner of the Belgian colonial city was the Poste Principal du Kivu , established at the end of June 1900 , a strategic outpost on the border of what is now Rwanda, which at that time was still part of the German East Africa colony . The new High Commissioner of the Ruzizi-Kivu administrative region, Paul Costermans , promptly arranged for the post called Nya-Lukemba to be expanded - the name of the narrow headland on which the outpost was built. Due to the very pleasant climate for Europeans, the first considerations were made as early as 1912 to convert the emerging settlement into a health resort, which was thwarted by the beginning of the First World War . During colonial times, Bukavu was a popular place to stay for European diplomats. Bukavu was sometimes referred to as the Riviera on the Congo . When Belgian troops occupied what is now Rwanda and Burundi in 1916 , the strategic location of the outpost ceased to exist and the place expanded. The name Bukavu has also been established for the settlement since 1916. The name is made up of the words bu and nkavu , which in the Mashi language roughly means place where the cows graze . The first urban planning concepts were developed by the colonial administration as early as 1925. When the first sources of raw materials were tapped in the immediate vicinity of Bukavu in 1928, general prosperity began. Due to the unstoppable influx, the districts of Kadutu and Bagira were established in 1958, which were primarily intended for the settlement of the black population. Also in 1958, Costermansville was only the fifth city in the Belgian Congo to receive municipal rights.

After independence

Independence Square

After the country was granted independence in 1960 and renamed Bukavu again, the city increasingly became the focus of various separatist movements. In 1967 Bukavu was the focus of a revolt by European mercenaries for several months and was almost completely destroyed in the course of the fighting. Around 1020 civilians are said to have died in the fighting and the last remaining white settlers left the city.

In 2004, during the Second Congo War , the city was the scene of bloody clashes between government forces and militias , which resulted in rape and massacre. The commanders of the militias, Colonel Jules Mutebutsi and General Laurent Nkunda , have since been wanted by the UN as war criminals.

In 2008 Denis Mukwege , co-founder and operator of Panzi Hospital received the United Nations Human Rights Award . That same year, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck Bukavu, killing seven people and injuring 320.

economy

Retail trade in Bukavu

There is a drug factory in Bukavu owned by Etienne Erny and Horst Gebbers' Pharmakina , which produces drugs against malaria ( quinine ) and AIDS (the generic Afri-vir); in 2005 it employed 740 permanent and around 1000 freelancers. Pharmakina is the city's largest employer. In addition, the Bralima , a local brewery, is one of the largest employers in the city; here u. a. brewed the famous Primus beer.

transport

Bukavu was an important transport hub and served as a gateway to the eastern Congo. However, as a result of the wars, the road network has deteriorated. The main roads to Goma , Kisangani and other cities have still hardly been rebuilt. The lack of transport infrastructure is having a devastating impact on the region's development. Similar to Goma, the proximity to the paved road network of East Africa and the functioning eastern part of the Lagos-Mombasa Highway could allow a faster recovery than in other Congolese cities. Bukavu's proximity to the ports of Bujumbura and Uvira (Kalundu) across Lake Tanganyika could bring an additional benefit through its access to the train stations of Kigoma (rail link to Dar es Salaam ) and Kalemie (rail link to Katanga province ).

Bukavu has numerous moorings, and transport by boat / ship is widespread on the Congolese side of the lake due to the lack of a well-maintained road network.

The airport of Kavumu (IATA code: BKY, ICAO code: FZMA), located approx. 30 km to the north, serves as the local airport for Bukavu. The airport has recently been accessible via a paved road.

Personalities

Denis Mukwege, November 2009

• Stefanos of Tallinn (born April 29, 1946), Estonian primate of the Estonian Orthodox Church
• Alexis Brimeyer (born May 4, 1946, † 1995 in Madrid), impostor
• Mwezé Ngangura (born October 7, 1950), director
• Denis Mukwege (born March 1, 1955), co-founder and director of the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu; honored with the United Nations Human Rights Award 2008, the Right Livelihood Award 2013 and the Nobel Peace Prize 2018 for his fight against "rape as a weapon".
• Jean van de Velde (born March 14, 1957), Dutch director
• Vital Kamerhe (born March 4, 1959), Congolese politician and former presidential candidate
• Barbara Kanam (born September 27, 1973), musician and actress
• Saïd Makasi (born August 20, 1982), Rwandan football player

swell

1. ↑ CIA World Factbook
2. ^ Institute roy. coloniale Belge: Biography of Costermans
3. ↑ ^{a b} http://mairiedebukavu.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=2  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ Maire de la Ville  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
5. ^ MONUSCO: "Protecting civilians and consolidating peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo"
6. ↑ "Les 5 Chantiers chez nous"  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
7. ↑ Burusa, Bizuru (1973): Naissance de Bukavu. Memoire présenté pour l'obtention du diploma de license en enseignement: Option histoire. Institut Superieur Pedagogique - Bukavu. 44
8. ↑ Looking for Mercenaries appeared in Transition magazine in issue 75/65 of 1967.
9. ↑ Burusa, Bizuru (1973): Naissance de Bukavu. Memoire présenté pour l'obtention du diploma de license en enseignement: Option histoire. Institut Superieur Pedagogique - Bukavu. 66
10. ↑ Burusa, Bizuru (1973): Naissance de Bukavu. Memoire présenté pour l'obtention du diploma de license en enseignement: Option histoire. Institut Superieur Pedagogique - Bukavu. 74
11. ↑ Burusa, Bizuru (1973): Naissance de Bukavu. Memoire présenté pour l'obtention du diploma de license en enseignement: Option histoire. Institut Superieur Pedagogique - Bukavu. 7th
12. ↑ Burusa, Bizuru (1973): Naissance de Bukavu. Memoire présenté pour l'obtention du diploma de license en enseignement: Option histoire. Institut Superieur Pedagogique - Bukavu. 6th
13. ↑ Report of the University of Hamburg on the mercenary leader Jean Schramme and the occupation of Bukavus ( Memento of the original from August 21, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
14. ^ De Witte, Ludo (2001): The Assassination of Lumumba. Verso - New York. 164
15. ↑ www.tagesschau.de July 25, 2006: "German Congo mine as a base for gunmen?" ( Memento from November 15, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
16. ^ OCHA Regional Office for Central and East Africa: "Earth quake in the Great Lakes Region. Regional situation update." (PDF; 177 kB)
17. ↑ Die Zeit Nr.29 2005: "Congo's little economic miracle"
18. ↑ Frankfurter Allgemeine from July 21, 2005: "Two pills for the Congo"  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
19. ↑ Ulimwengu, J., Funes, J., Headey, D. and You, L. 2009. Paving the way for development? The impact of transport infrastructure on agricultural production and poverty reduction in the Democratic Republic of Congo, IFPRI Discussion Paper 00944, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington DC, USA. 48 pp.