Kaniola Groupement

Kaniola
Grouping
Groupement de Kanyola
Country Democratic Republic of the Congo
ProvinceSouth Kivu
TerritoryWalungu
ChiefdomNgweshe
Area
 • Total
138.52 km2 (53.48 sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (CAT)

Kaniola, also denominated as Kanyola, constitutes one of the sixteen groupements (groupings) within the Ngweshe Chiefdom of the Shi populace in Walungu Territory. It is situated at an altitude of 1,800 meters and lies 64 kilometers from the metropolis of Bukavu. It abuts the Kahuzi-Biéga National Park and the Nindja Chiefdom to the northeast, while it is contiguous with the Izege and Walungu groupements to the east. To the west, it is flanked by the Burhale and Mulamba groupements.[1]

Geography

Spanning an expanse of 138.52 km2, with a population density of 399.4 people per square kilometre, Kaniola is home to a population of 60,906. It has a temperate climate with two seasons.[1]

Administrative division

Administratively, the Kaniola groupement is divided into six sub-groupements, including the chief town (Kaniola Center, although not officially endorsed by the chieftaincy or currently possessing legal status). These groupements are governed by traditional leaders referred to as 'mwamis.' Each groupement is then subdivided into villages (localités) and is under the authority of customary chiefs.[1]

Sub-groupements:

  • Cagala sub-groupement: Led by Chief Ntangano;
  • Mwirama sub-groupement: Governed by Byumanine;
  • Murhala sub-groupement: Directed by Nyakasane;
  • Budodo sub-groupement: Overseen by Nyunda;
  • Nyamarhege sub-groupement: Administered by Chief Vuningoma;
  • Miduha sub-groupement: Managed by Mupanga;
  • Kaniola Center sub-groupement: Under the headship of Herman.

Villages

Kaniola groupement is subdivided into 53 villages:[2][3][4]

  • Cagala
  • Nakalage
  • Chamba
  • Cibuga
  • Cize-Icurhu
  • Iyanga Bagula
  • Mwirama
  • Bushushu
  • Cibanda
  • Nabishaka
  • Ntabunge
  • Ludundu
  • Cindubi
  • Cirhwakanyi
  • Cibira
  • Mbuba
  • Kaniola
  • Nakajaka
  • Luya
  • Muhungu
  • Cirhwa Muhunga
  • Lwashunga
  • Karhuliza IER
  • Karhuliza II
  • Cisaza IER
  • Mulangana
  • Karhwa
  • Cisaza II
  • Cimbulungu
  • Kalongo
  • Murhala
  • Budogo
  • Cega
  • Lwengero
  • Kahya
  • Cagundwe
  • Bolole
  • Madubo
  • Mudirhi
  • Cosho
  • Bulunga
  • Nyamarhege
  • Mukama
  • Mulambula
  • Mubondwe
  • Kalengera
  • Miduha
  • Kangala
  • Katudu
  • Munyenye IER
  • Munyenye II
  • Kalengera
  • Muyange

History

Established in 1921 as a collective of the Ngweshe Chiefdom within the Belgian Congo, the region was historically occupied by the Lega people, a Bantu-speaking ethnic group residing in the primordial forests of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, between the African Great Lakes and the Lualaba River, in proximity to the Luba people.[5][1][6][7][8]

Conflict and insecurity

The conflict has devastated the region for nearly 30 years due to recurring wars and persistent ethnic conflicts.[9] In 1996, 2004, 2005, 2006, and on the night of May 26 to 27, 2007, the region experienced several massacres, making it a focal point of ethnic strife.[10] These atrocities perpetuated into various villages within Kaniola groupement in 2008, predominantly attributed to the Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Congo (AFDL), Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD), Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple (CNDP), and Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR). The FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu political-military organization, was instigated in 2000 by the ex-FAR/Interahamwe in Zaire following the Rwandan genocide, aiming to consolidate the Rwandan Hutu refugee population in eastern Zaire to advocate for political dialogue, the formation of political parties, and integration into the army and public institutions.[11][12][13][14][15]

In May 2009, two officers from the 17th Integrated Brigade Battalion of FARDC were killed and one went missing subsequent to clashes with the FDLR in the Kabona and Luhago villages of the Nindja Chiefdom within the Kabare Territory, located more than 80 kilometers west of Bukavu.[16] By July 2009, the 421st FARDC Battalion successfully reclaimed the villages of Kafukiro and Kahamba from FDLR rebels.[17]

Economy

Agriculture

Both subsistence and industrial agriculture are an important component of Kaniola's economy. Subsistence agricultural products include bean, maize, sorghum, potato, tomato, banana, sweet potato, cassava, corn and rice.[1][18] Subsistence farming provides food security for most families and communities but also enables rural producers to increase or decrease their income. As for industrial agriculture commodities, there are cinchona, coffee and tobacco. The subsoil is replete with various minerals, including gold, cassiterite and orphamine.[1]

Breeding

While agriculture is predominantly for subsistence, livestock is another important source of revenue and plays a significant social role in marriage among the Bashi.[19] It is a source of leverage, prestige and wealth. Animal breeding assists many peasants in solving many of their financial, social, cultural and other problems: marriage, children's education, and visitors' receptions. Breeding mainly centers on cows, goats, sheep, chickens, pigs, rabbits, and guinea pigs.[20][21]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Province du Sud Kivu Territoire de Walungu Chefferie de Ngweshe: Groupement de Kaniola" [South Kivu Province Walungu Territory Ngweshe Chiefdom: Kaniola Group] (PDF). C.D.J.P (in French). Bukavu, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. 2015. pp. 5–6. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  2. ^ "Province du Sud Kivu Territoire de Walungu Chefferie de Ngweshe: Groupement de Kaniola" [South Kivu Province Walungu Territory Ngweshe Chiefdom: Kaniola Group] (PDF). C.D.J.P (in French). Bukavu, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. 2015. pp. 6–7. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  3. ^ "Rapport final : consultations participatives à la base pour l'élaboration du Document de Stratégies de Réduction de la Pauvreté (DSRP), Territoire de WALUNGU - Province du Sud Kivu" (PDF). UT Libraries - The University of Texas at Austin (in French). SERACOB. 2004. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  4. ^ https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/sites/www.humanitarianresponse.info/files/Zone%20de%20sant%C3%A9%20de%20Kaniola.pdf
  5. ^ Mapatano, Bagalwa; Bahuga, Bapolisi; Muhigwa, Bahananga; Mwapu, Isumbisho (October 2015). Cahiers du CERPRU (in French). Publibook/Société écrivains. ISBN 9782342043334.
  6. ^ Gerard-Libois, Jules; Verhaegen, Benoit (2015). Congo 1964: Political Documents of a Developing Nation. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9781400875429.
  7. ^ Baciyunjuze, Justin N.; Nkunzi, Baciyunjuze J. (2005). La naissance de l'église au Bushi: l'ère des pionniers 1906-1908 (in French). Rome, Italy: Pontificia Università Gregoriana. ISBN 9788878390492.
  8. ^ Biebuyck, Daniel P. (1973). Lega Culture; Art, Initiation, and Moral Philosophy Among a Central African People. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520020856. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  9. ^ Universite Catholique De Bukavu:katabaruka, Byabuze (2005-10-21). "Nouveau Massacre à Kaniola,territoire de Walungu Province du Sud-Kivu-Lettre ouverte aux autorités de la Transition en RD Congo". http://www.grandslacs.net/. {{cite journal}}: External link in |journal= (help)
  10. ^ Bashige, Heir (February 20, 2022). "RDC: La population de Kaniola, victime du massacre, exige la création d'un tribunal pénal international au Sud-Kivu" [DRC: The population of Kaniola, victims of the massacre, demands the creation of an international criminal court in South Kivu]. Election-net.com (in French). Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  11. ^ "Attacks against other civilian populations – South Kivu". Mapping-report.org. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  12. ^ "System of impunity making mockery of special procedures to address extrajudicial killings, papporteur tells third committee". Press.un.org. October 26, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  13. ^ "DR Congo: Statement attributable to the Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Ross Mountain". Reliefweb.int. May 29, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  14. ^ Uzima, Thomas (October 11, 2020). "Massacre de Kaniola: un anniversaire qui appelle à la justice" [Kaniola massacre: an anniversary that calls for justice]. La PrunelleRDC (in French). Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  15. ^ "Massacre de Lemera, 24 ans déjà : Des dizaines de malades abattus dans un hôpital, certains par un coup de pistolet dans la bouche" [Lemera massacre, 24 years already: Dozens of patients shot dead in a hospital, some by a pistol shot in the mouth]. Actualite.cd (in French). October 6, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  16. ^ "Nindja: attaques des FDLR, 2 officiers FARDC tués et un disparu" [Nindja: FDLR attacks, 2 FARDC officers killed and one missing]. Radio Okapi (in French). May 25, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  17. ^ "Walungu: les FARDC récupèrent les villages de Kafukiro et de Kahamba aux FDLR" [Walungu: the FARDC recovers the villages of Kafukiro and Kahamba from the FDLR]. Radio Okapi (in French). June 18, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  18. ^ "MID-TERM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF THE STRENGTHENING VALUE CHAINS (SVC) ACTIVITY IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO" (PDF). January 15, 2021. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  19. ^ Mulago, V. (1978). "Studia Missionalia: Vol.27". Google Books. Faculty of Missiology, Gregorian University. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  20. ^ Sigwalt, Richard D. (1975). The Early History of Bushi: An Essay in the Historical Use of Genesis Traditions. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin--Madison.
  21. ^ Biebuyck, Daniel, ed. (August 16, 2018). African Agrarian Systems. England: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781351037648.