South Kivu

Infobox DRCongo Province
country = Democratic Republic of the Congo
native_name = Province du Sud-Kivu
common_name = Sud-Kivu
capital = Bukavu
largest_city = Bukavu
national_language = Swahili
population_density =
population_estimate =
governor = Louis Léonce Cirimwami Muderhwa


pop_year =
area = 65.070
area_scale =
districts =
cities =
demonym = none
website =




image_logo_size = None

Sud-Kivu (Kivu-Sud, South Kivu) is a province of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Its provincial capital is Bukavu.

Geography

It borders the provinces of Nord-Kivu to the north, Maniema to the west, and Katanga to the south. To the east it borders the countries of Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania.

Politics

Célestin Cibalonza has been Governor of the province and Léon Mumate Nyamatomwa vice-governor since 24 January 2007. [ [http://www.digitalcongo.net/article/40637 L’AMP remporte huit des neuf postes de gouverneurs de province mis en compétition !] , ACP sur digitalcongo.net, 29 janvier 2007]

Human rights

Sud-Kivu, along with Nord-Kivu, has been the center of the conflict resulting from the Second Congo War. The UN estimates that in 2005, approximately 45,000 women were raped in South Kivu. [ [http://johannhari.com/archive/article.php?id=863 Johann Hari - Archive ] ] It forms the new Congolese military (FARDC's) 10th Military Region, whose undisciplined former factional fighters are responsible for many continuing human rights abuses, due to a continuing culture of impunity for military personnel, bad conditions, lack of pay, and lack of training. [http://ecas2007.aegis-eu.org/commence/user/view_file_forall.php?fileid=889]

In July 2007, United Nations human rights expert Yakin Erturk called the situation in South Kivu the worst she has ever seen in four years as the global body's special investigator for violence against women. Sexual violence throughout Congo is "rampant," she said, blaming rebel groups, the armed forces and national police. Her statement included that "Frequently women are shot or stabbed in their genital organs, after they are raped. Women, who survived months of enslavement, told me that their tormentors had forced them to eat excrement or the human flesh of murdered relatives." [ [http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=82&sid=1204378 Federal News Radio - WFED: ] ]

References

Further reading

* [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/world/africa/07congo.html "Rape Epidemic Raises Trauma of Congo War."] By Jeffrey Gettleman. October 7, 2007. "New York Times."