Walikale Territory

Walikale Territory is a territory situated in North Kivu Province, within the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo). Its administrative headquarters are located in the town of Walikale, which lies along Democratic Republic of the Congo National Road No. 3 between Bukavu and Lubutu (Maniema Province). The territory occupies the Lowa River valley and is positioned approximately 135 km west of Goma.

Walikale is renowned for its cassiterite deposits, a mineral refined into tin. As of 2008, control over these resources was heavily contested due to the Kivu conflict, with warlords and armed factions dominating extraction activities. The Bisie mine, one of the territory’s largest cassiterite sources, was under the authority of the renegade 85th Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), commanded by Colonel Samy Matumo, until early 2009. That year, the mine transitioned to oversight by FARDC units undergoing "accelerated integration," a government-led initiative to absorb former rebel forces into the national army.

Security challenges persist in Walikale, notably due to activities by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). In May 2009, the group launched attacks in Busurungi, a settlement near the border with South Kivu Province. Busurungi and its surrounding area host approximately 7,000 residents, distributed across villages including Bunyamisimbwa, Kahunju, Kamanyola, Kasebunga, Kitchanga, Moka, Nyamimba, and Tuonane.