Ankoro
Encyclopedia
Ankoro is a town in Haut-Katanga District
Haut-Katanga District
Haut-Katanga District is a district located in the Katanga Province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo....

, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...

.
It lies on the west bank of the Lualaba River
Lualaba River
The Lualaba River is the greatest headstream of the Congo River by volume of water. However, by length the Chambeshi River is the farthest headstream. The Lualaba is 1800 km long, running from near Musofi in the vicinity of Lubumbashi in Katanga Province. The whole of its length lies within the...

 opposite the point where it is joined by the Luvua River
Luvua River
The Luvua River is a river in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . It flows from the northern end of Lake Mweru on the Zambia-Congo border in a northwesterly direction for to its confluence with the Lualaba River opposite the town of Ankoro...

.

Civil war

Towards the end of the Second Congo War
Second Congo War
The Second Congo War, also known as Coltan War and the Great War of Africa, began in August 1998 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and officially ended in July 2003 when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power; however, hostilities continue to this...

 (1998-2003) the community was in a desperate state.
In November 2002 there had been fighting between government forces in Ankoro and the rebel forces who held the territory across the river. The people fled into the bush around the town, where they had to scavenge for food. 100 people were killed and more than 3,000 homes were burned down. Food stored in the town was looted by soldiers and there were no seeds to plant at the start of the rainy season. Over 40% were malnourished. In an attempt to alleviate the situation, in March 2003 World Vision
World Vision
World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950, is an evangelical relief and development organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of...

 organized a shipment of 626.4 metric tonnes of maize, oil and salt. The aid would be taken by rail from Lubumbashi
Lubumbashi
Lubumbashi is the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, second only to the nation's capital Kinshasa, and the hub of the southeastern part of the country. The copper-mining city serves as the capital of the relatively prosperous Katanga Province, lying near the Zambian border...

 to Bukama
Bukama
Bukama is a town in Haut-Lomami District of south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. As of 2009 it had an estimated population of 42,718....

, then by river for three days to Ankoro.
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