Where: Bweremana

 

Bweremana has a population of 16,000 people and is one of six towns  within a groupment called Mupfuni Shanga, which in turn is one of seven groupements that make up the chefferie of Bahunde in North Kivu. The chefferie has a population of nearly 400,000 and Bweremana is its adminstrative centre.

Here is a video introduction:

 

The town is located on the shores of Lake Kivu. To get there it is easiest to take the road west from Goma, pass through Sake and continue around the lake using the Goma- Bukavu road. The distance from Goma to Bweremana is 50 kms.

The town of Minova lies close by, just across the border in South Kivu.

The population is made up of several tribes including Hunde, Tembo, Nyanga, Nande, Havu, Bashi, Hutu, Tutsi and Pygmies, and is characterized by the warm hospitality given to all who arrive there.

It is now a peaceful place. However the wars and disturbances that started in the 1990s have continued until very recently and have made life difficult and the future unstable. Some groups might be searching for possible retaliation.

There was no trouble until the arrival of Rwandan refugees and the increasing presence of armed groups, including Mai-Mai and Hutu fighters.

The FARDC 8th Military was headquartered in the town at the time in November 2012 when the city of Goma was taken by the M23 rebels.

After the atrocities committed by armed groups in Masisi, the town of Bweremana served as the collection center and local people suffered from the looting, robbery and rape.

Security is now provided by the FARDC and the Congolese National Police.

The people cultivate banana, cassava, beans, taro, sweet potatoes, corn, sorghum and yams , plus vegetables such as cabbage, eggplant, leeks, spinach, carrots and potatoes. People also fish and keep livestock and there is a local culture of coffee production.

There are problems in the area with bacterial wilt disease that has decimated entire banana plantations and had a negative impact on the economic resources of many households.

In the future the people of Bweremana hope to build a plant for the processing of agricultural products for export and to improve fishing and farming with modern techniques. They also hope to construct a market building, a public port and a modern multi-purpose room and a guest house.