Walungu Territory

Walungu Territory is a territory located within the South Kivu Province in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Situated approximately 40 km from Bukavu, it shares borders with Kabare Territory to the north, Mwenga Territory to the south, Uvira Territory and the Ruzizi River, as well as the Republics of Rwanda and Burundi to the east, and Shabunda Territory and part of Kabare Territory to the west. According to the 2018 national census, the region has a population of 716,671, with 672,436 residing in the Ngweshe Chiefdom and 44,235 in the Kaziba Chiefdom. Spanning an area of 1,800 km², Walungu Territory has a population density of 398 inhabitants per square kilometer.

Mashi is the most widely spoken language, while French serves as the official language and Kiswahili functions as a national lingua franca. Walungu Territory is considered an important agricultural center in South Kivu, with an economy based on subsistence and industrial farming, livestock breeding, trade, artisanal crafts such as cutting and sewing, carpentry, electronic repairs, and small-scale industries including sawmills, brickyards, and soap production. Mining activities are also significant, although they have contributed to security challenges involving foreign armed groups and local militias, prompting the deployment of United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) to address human rights violations. On 25 May 2005, the territory was the site of a fatal plane crash when a chartered Maniema Antonov An-28 aircraft operated by Victoria Air crashed into a mountain near Walungu, resulting in the deaths of all 27 people on board.