Bunia
Bunia is the capital city of Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It was part of the Orientale Province until that province's dissolution.
Bunia | |
|---|---|
Provincial capital and city | |
| Ville de Bunia | |
Bunia from the air, looking north toward the Nyakasanza district | |
Bunia Location in Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| Coordinates: 1°34′N 30°15′E | |
| Country | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Province | Ituri |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ferdinand Fimbo Lebilye |
| Area | |
| • City | 576 km2 (222 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 53 km2 (20 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,277 m (4,190 ft) |
| Population (2015) | |
| • City | 900,666 |
| • Density | 1,600/km2 (4,000/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 486,000 |
| • Urban density | 9,200/km2 (24,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (Central Africa Time) |
| Climate | Af |
| National language | Swahili |
It lies at an elevation of 1,275 metres or 4,180 feet on a plateau about 30 kilometres or 19 miles west of Lake Albert in the Albertine Rift, and about 25 kilometres or 16 miles east of the Ituri Rainforest.
The city is at the center of the Ituri conflict between the Lendu and Hema. In the Second Congo War the city and district were the scene of much fighting and many civilian deaths from this conflict, and related clashes between militias and Uganda-based forces. Consequently, the city is the base of one of the largest United Nations peace-keeping forces in Africa, and its headquarters in northeastern DRC. The area's natural resources include gold mines over which militias and foreign forces have been fighting.