Ituri Interim Administration
Encyclopedia
The Ituri Interim Administration is an interim body that administers the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was established in 2003 by the Ituri Pacification Commission and supported by the UN mission in the DRC.
in 1998, it was held by soldiers of the Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) and the Uganda
n-backed Movement for Liberation faction of the Rally for Congolese Democracy
(RCD-ML). In June 1999, the commander of UPDF forces in the DRC, Brig. Gen. James Kazini
, ignored the protests of RCD-ML leaders and re-created the province of Kibali-Ituri out of the eastern section of the northeastern Orientale
province. It is almost always referred to simply as Ituri. The capital was Bunia
. The creation of a new province under the governorship of a Hema contributed to the start of the current Ituri conflict
, that has caused thousands of deaths. Most official cartographers did not include the new province, and those referring to it as a "province" rather than a "region" were sometimes viewed as having a pro-Uganda bias. With the new constitution, Ituri's status as a proposed province was finally settled.
The current Ituri Interim Administration was formed through the efforts of the Ituri Pacification Commission, a commission sponsored by the United Nations Organization Mission in Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC, abbreviation of the French name "Mission de l'Organisation des Nations Unies en République Démocratique du Congo") that was set up, after much initial delay, in 2003 after the pull-out of Ugandan troops from the district. It led to the creation of the Ituri Interim Assembly
, which elected an administrator and an assembly chairperson; the current assembly chairperson is Petronille Vaweka
, who is also the sole deputy for the district to the National Assembly
in Kinshasa
.
The district is currently recognized as a district of Orientale. The Interim Assembly will be reconstituted or replaced by a provincial assembly under the 2006 constitution. An election for the governor and vice-governor will also be held, and the district will be re-created as a province of the DRC.
and Sudan
. Its five administrative territories are:
Ituri is a region of high plateau (2000–5000 meters) that has a large tropical forest but also the landscape of savannah. The district has rare fauna, including the okapi
, the national animal of the Congo. As for flora, an important species is Mangongo, whose leaves are used by the Mbuti
to build their homes.
gold mines are located in the Ituri region. In the beginning of the 21st century, petroleum reserves have been found by Heritage Oil
and Tullow Oil
on the shores of Lake Albert.
, Hema
, Lendu
, Ngiti
, Bira and Ndo-Okebo, with differing figures on which one of the groups constitutes the largest percentage of the population in the province. The Mbuti
, a pygmy ethnic group, reside primarily in the Ituri forest near the Okapi Wildlife Reserve
, although some Mbuti have been forced in recent years by deforestation, over-hunting and violence into the urban areas.
History
Ituri, as Kibali-Ituri, was a province of the DRC from 1962-1966. Prior to the adoption of the 2006 Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the legal status of Ituri was a topic of some dispute. From the beginning of the Second Congo WarSecond 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...
in 1998, it was held by soldiers of the Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) and the Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
n-backed Movement for Liberation faction of the Rally for Congolese Democracy
Rally for Congolese Democracy
The Congolese Rally for Democracy, sometimes Rally for Congolese Democracy, was a rebel group operating in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . Assisted by the government of Rwanda, it was a major factor in the Second Congo War . It became a political party in 2003...
(RCD-ML). In June 1999, the commander of UPDF forces in the DRC, Brig. Gen. James Kazini
James Kazini
Major General James Kazini was a Ugandan Army officer. Between 2001 and 2003, he served as Commander of the UPDF, a position that is now known as the Chief of Defence Forces of Uganda, the highest military position within the Uganda People's Defense Force.-History:He was born in 1957 in the...
, ignored the protests of RCD-ML leaders and re-created the province of Kibali-Ituri out of the eastern section of the northeastern Orientale
Orientale, Congo
Orientale is one of the ten provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The province lies in the northeast of the country. It borders Équateur province to the west, Kasai-Oriental province to the southwest, Maniema province to the south, and Nord-Kivu province to the southeast...
province. It is almost always referred to simply as Ituri. The capital was Bunia
Bunia
Bunia is a city in Democratic Republic of the Congo and is the headquarters of Ituri Interim Administration in the Ituri region of Orientale Province....
. The creation of a new province under the governorship of a Hema contributed to the start of the current Ituri conflict
Ituri Conflict
The Ituri conflict is a conflict between the agriculturalist Lendu and pastoralist Hema ethnic groups in the Ituri region of the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo . While there have been many phases to the conflict, the most recent armed clashes ran from 1999 to 2003, with a low-level...
, that has caused thousands of deaths. Most official cartographers did not include the new province, and those referring to it as a "province" rather than a "region" were sometimes viewed as having a pro-Uganda bias. With the new constitution, Ituri's status as a proposed province was finally settled.
The current Ituri Interim Administration was formed through the efforts of the Ituri Pacification Commission, a commission sponsored by the United Nations Organization Mission in Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC, abbreviation of the French name "Mission de l'Organisation des Nations Unies en République Démocratique du Congo") that was set up, after much initial delay, in 2003 after the pull-out of Ugandan troops from the district. It led to the creation of the Ituri Interim Assembly
Ituri Interim Assembly
The Ituri Interim Assembly is a 32-member legislative body that serves as the legislature of Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was created in April 2003 by the Ituri Pacification Commission, a UN-sponsored commission that assessed the current state of conflict in the Ituri region...
, which elected an administrator and an assembly chairperson; the current assembly chairperson is Petronille Vaweka
Petronille Vaweka
Petronille Vaweka is a humanitarian NGO activist and the interim chairperson of the Ituri Interim Assembly of Ituri Interim Administration, which is currently in transition from the status of a district of Orientale to a province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She worked with the Ituri...
, who is also the sole deputy for the district to the National Assembly
National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Composition of the National Assembly...
in Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
.
The district is currently recognized as a district of Orientale. The Interim Assembly will be reconstituted or replaced by a provincial assembly under the 2006 constitution. An election for the governor and vice-governor will also be held, and the district will be re-created as a province of the DRC.
Structure of the Ituri Interim Administration
The Ituri Interim Administration consists of:- A five-member executive led by interim Administrator Emmanuel Leku ApuoboEmmanuel Leku Apuobo-References:...
. It is divided into four departments:- administration
- infrastructure and reconstruction
- economy and finances
- human rights and social work
- An Ituri Interim AssemblyIturi Interim AssemblyThe Ituri Interim Assembly is a 32-member legislative body that serves as the legislature of Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was created in April 2003 by the Ituri Pacification Commission, a UN-sponsored commission that assessed the current state of conflict in the Ituri region...
of 32 members, led by Petronille VawekaPetronille VawekaPetronille Vaweka is a humanitarian NGO activist and the interim chairperson of the Ituri Interim Assembly of Ituri Interim Administration, which is currently in transition from the status of a district of Orientale to a province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She worked with the Ituri... - an eighteen-member commission for conflict prevention and verification
- a nine-member committee for dialogue between the armed groups
- a seventeen-member interim observer group on human rights violations
Governors of Kibali-Ituri since 1999
- *1999* Adele Lotsoye Mugisa (appointed by James KaziniJames KaziniMajor General James Kazini was a Ugandan Army officer. Between 2001 and 2003, he served as Commander of the UPDF, a position that is now known as the Chief of Defence Forces of Uganda, the highest military position within the Uganda People's Defense Force.-History:He was born in 1957 in the...
) - December 1999 - early 2001 Ernest Uringi Padolo
- Dec. 2001 - November 2002 Joseph Eneku
- Feb. 2002 - ???? Jean-Pierre Mulondo Lonpondo
Administrator of the Ituri Interim Administration
- April 2003–present Emmanuel Leku ApuoboEmmanuel Leku Apuobo-References:...
Geography
The Ituri region is located northeast of the Ituri River and on the western side of Lake Albert. It has borders with the UgandaUganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
and Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
. Its five administrative territories are:
- AruAru, Democratic Republic of CongoAru is a territory in Ituri District, Orientale Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the name of the territory's administrative capital, Aru Town...
(6,740 km2) - Djugu (8,184 km2)
- Irumu (8,730 km2)
- Mahagi (5,221 km2)
- MambasaMambasa TerritoryMambasa Territory is an administrative area in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.The headquarters is in the town of Mambasa....
(36,783 km2)
Ituri is a region of high plateau (2000–5000 meters) that has a large tropical forest but also the landscape of savannah. The district has rare fauna, including the okapi
Okapi
The okapi , Okapia johnstoni, is a giraffid artiodactyl mammal native to the Ituri Rainforest, located in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Central Africa...
, the national animal of the Congo. As for flora, an important species is Mangongo, whose leaves are used by the Mbuti
Mbuti
Mbuti or Bambuti are one of several indigenous pygmy groups in the Congo region of Africa. Their languages belong to the Central Sudanic and also to Bantu languages.-Overview:...
to build their homes.
Economy
The Kilo-MotoKilo-Moto
Kilo-Moto is a region in the far northeast corner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo where gold was discovered in the Ituri River by government prospectors in 1903...
gold mines are located in the Ituri region. In the beginning of the 21st century, petroleum reserves have been found by Heritage Oil
Heritage Oil
Heritage Oil is an independent Jersey-based oil and gas exploration and production company. Its activities are focused on Africa, the Middle East and Russia. It is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. It has a secondary listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange....
and Tullow Oil
Tullow Oil
Tullow Oil plc is a global oil and gas exploration company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has interests in over 85 licences across 23 countries and in 2010 produced 58,100 barrels of oil equivalent per day...
on the shores of Lake Albert.
Demographics
The population is composed primarily of AlurAlur people
Alur are an ethnic group who live mainly in the Nebbi, Zombo, and Arua districts in northwestern Uganda, but also in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, north of Lake Albert. They are part of the larger Luo group, and their language is closely related to Acholi...
, Hema
Hema people
The Hema, or Hima, are an ethnic group with about 160,000 members located in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, in particular the Ituri region and Orientale province, as well as parts of Uganda and Rwanda...
, Lendu
Lendu
The Lendu, or Balendru, are an ethno-linguistic agriculturalist group residing in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in the area west and northwest of Lake Albert, in particular the Ituri region of Orientale province. Their language is one of the most populous of the Central Sudanic languages...
, Ngiti
Ngiti
The Ngiti, or South Lendu, is an ethnolinguistic group located in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ngiti speakers call their language Ndruna. As of 1991, the Ngiti numbered 100,000 located in the Irumu territory south of Bunia...
, Bira and Ndo-Okebo, with differing figures on which one of the groups constitutes the largest percentage of the population in the province. The Mbuti
Mbuti
Mbuti or Bambuti are one of several indigenous pygmy groups in the Congo region of Africa. Their languages belong to the Central Sudanic and also to Bantu languages.-Overview:...
, a pygmy ethnic group, reside primarily in the Ituri forest near the Okapi Wildlife Reserve
Okapi Wildlife Reserve
The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is a World Heritage Site in the Ituri Forest in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the borders with Sudan and Uganda...
, although some Mbuti have been forced in recent years by deforestation, over-hunting and violence into the urban areas.
Further reading
- WOLTERS, S., 2005. Is Ituri on the Road to Stability? An update on the current security situation in the district. Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies.