Bunia

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Bunia
Provincial capital and city
Ville de Bunia
Bunia from the air, looking north toward the Nyakasanza district
Bunia from the air, looking north toward the Nyakasanza district
Bunia is located in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Bunia
Bunia
Location in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Coordinates: 1°34′N 30°15′E / 1.567°N 30.250°E / 1.567; 30.250
Country Democratic Republic of the Congo
ProvinceIturi
Government
 • MayorFerdinand Fimbo Lebilye[1]
Area
 • Total57.6 km2 (22.2 sq mi)
Elevation
1,277 m (4,190 ft)
Population
 (2012)
 • Total366,126
 • Density6,400/km2 (16,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (Central Africa Time)
ClimateAw
National languageSwahili

Bunia is a city in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the capital of Ituri province. It was part of the Orientale Province until that province was split up into smaller provinces in 2015. As of 2012 it had an estimated population of 366,126.[2]

It lies at an elevation of 1275 m on a plateau about 30 km west of Lake Albert in the Albertine Rift, and about 25 km east of the Ituri Forest.

The city is at the center of the Ituri conflict between the Lendu and Hema. In the Second Congo War the city and district were the scene of much fighting and many civilian deaths from this conflict, and related clashes between militias and Uganda-based forces. Consequently, the city is the base of one of the largest United Nations peace-keeping forces in Africa, and its headquarters in northeastern DRC. The area's natural resources include gold mines over which militias and foreign forces have been fighting.

References[change | change source]

  1. "Ituri : les chefs de quartiers et des avenues achèvent un atelier de formation sur la gouvernance participative". ACP Média Puplic (in French). ACP. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.[permanent dead link]
  2. "Congo (Dem. Rep.): largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". World Gazetteer. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2009.