Bétou
Encyclopedia
Bétou is a town on the right bank of the Ubangi River
in the Likouala Department, Republic of the Congo
. Betou is a "Sous-prefecture" and has its own Mayor. The town has a disused air-strip . Betou is the border town with the Central African Republic
(CAR), located approximately 90km from the border by road, or 45km by river. The town is linked to Bangui
, the capital of CAR, by a relatively good road, but suffers from very poor road access to the south of the Republic of Congo, with the vast majority of travellers arriving by river.
The town is dominated by a large Italian-run timber factory which is the area's major employer. Since late 2009, according to the UNHCR, the district of Betou accommodates around 57.000 refugees who have fled ethnic conflict in the Equateur province of DRC (directly opposite across the river Oubangui), of whom just over 10.000 live in the town of Betou itself, with the rest spread throughout numerous small riverside villages. A number of international organisations have established field bases in Betou to assist the refugees (Medecins Sans Frontieres, UNHCR, ACTED).
Ubangi River
The Ubangi River , also spelled Oubangui, is the largest right-bank tributary of the Congo River of Central Africa. It begins at the confluence of the Mbomou and Uele Rivers and flows west, then bends to the southwest and passes through Bangui, after which it flows south to the Congo at Liranga....
in the Likouala Department, Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
. Betou is a "Sous-prefecture" and has its own Mayor. The town has a disused air-strip . Betou is the border town with the Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
(CAR), located approximately 90km from the border by road, or 45km by river. The town is linked to Bangui
Bangui
-Law and government:Bangui is an autonomous commune of the Central African Republic. With an area of 67 km², it is by far the smallest high-level administrative division of the CAR in area but the highest in population...
, the capital of CAR, by a relatively good road, but suffers from very poor road access to the south of the Republic of Congo, with the vast majority of travellers arriving by river.
The town is dominated by a large Italian-run timber factory which is the area's major employer. Since late 2009, according to the UNHCR, the district of Betou accommodates around 57.000 refugees who have fled ethnic conflict in the Equateur province of DRC (directly opposite across the river Oubangui), of whom just over 10.000 live in the town of Betou itself, with the rest spread throughout numerous small riverside villages. A number of international organisations have established field bases in Betou to assist the refugees (Medecins Sans Frontieres, UNHCR, ACTED).
See also
- Dongo conflictDongo conflictThe Dongo conflict is an armed conflict centered in Dongo, on the left bank of the Ubangi River in the Kungu territory of Sud-Ubangi District, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Fighting started in late October 2009 as a conflict between members of two communities over access to fishing ponds: the...