Kitchanga
During the 1990s, Kitchanga experienced a rapid demographic surge. The region's infrastructure evolved with the construction of wooden, brick, and multi-storey houses, coupled with the development of roads, utilities, and a diversified local economy comprising various commercial enterprises, positioning Kitchanga as one of eastern DRC's burgeoning cities and boomtowns. The predominant economic activity is subsistence agriculture, with local agrarians producing crops such as maize, beans, potatoes, and assorted vegetables. Animal husbandry also constitutes a pivotal component of the local economy. It provides a source of income along with dairy products, meat, and ancillary by-products for local consumption and commerce. Kitchanga also hosts various service-oriented businesses, including healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and hospitality establishments.
Since the First Congo War, Kitchanga has been affected by the protracted conflict that has engulfed the region, becoming a site of violence and mass displacement. On 20 November 2012, the M23 rebel military group seized control over significant portions of North Kivu Province, eventually capturing the provincial capital of Goma. The M23's reign was characterized by widespread human rights abuses, including the conscription of child soldiers, sexual violence against women and girls, and the forced displacement of civilians. Consequently, Kitchanga has become a shelter for those fleeing violence while concurrently functioning as a contested town, a rebel stronghold, and combat zone.
History
Traditional Inhabitants and Belgian colonial migration policies
Kitchanga was traditionally inhabited by the Hunde people. During the era of Belgian colonial rule, the Hunde community was organized into their newly-established self-governing entity known as the "Hunde Chiefdom," presided over by a traditional chief who enforced colonial law and order. This establishment of localized governance fostered a semblance of self-governance while ensuring the stringent implementation of colonial mandates.
In the 1930s, Belgian colonial administration planned and organized a migratory movement of labor from neighboring Rwanda towards eastern part of then Belgian Congo. The territory of Ruanda-Urundi, having been annexed as a protectorate under Belgian colonial rule, housed a dense populace, whereas the Belgian Congo, also under Belgian jurisdiction, encompassed regions marked by notably sparse population densities. The Belgian colonists favored the proclivity for the influx of these Banyarwanda transplanted laborers and migrants seeking sanctuary in the eastern precincts of the Belgian Congo as the local populations had vacated due to the forced labor imposed by white farmers. The Banyarwanda, primarily settled in strategic locations such as Masisi Territory in present-day North Kivu Province, Itombwe in present-day South Kivu Province, and the Vyura Mountains above Moba in Katanga Province, were seen as a solution to the labor shortages.
Atypical chiefdoms, the Kanyarwanda War, and ethnic conflicts
To accommodate the Banyarwanda immigrants, the Belgian colonizers instituted "atypical chefferies [chiefdoms]" for Banyarwanda, including the establishment of the Bwisha Chiefdom and Gishari Chiefdom. These territories, covering an expanse of 34,910 hectares (350 km2), were procured by colonial authorities through duress in 1939 from the Bahunde chieftains, with the intent of providing habitation for Banyarwanda immigrants. In 1938, Mr. Leenaerts, a Belgian administrator transplanted from Ruanda-Urundi, made his way to the region with the charge of overseeing the welfare of the immigrants he had previously supervised in Rwanda. After his visit, he was eventually succeeded by Chief Bideri from Rwanda, who, in turn, was replaced in 1941 by another Rwandan chief named Buchanayandi. The establishment of these chieftaincies and the appointment of Rwandan immigrants as traditional chiefs incited ethnic conflicts between the Banyarwanda immigrants and the Hundes, with the latter asserting their ancestral claims to the land. In 1957, the Hundes regained control of Gishari, merging it into the Bahunde Chiefdom. Administrative reorganizations culminated in December 1977 with the formation of the modern Bashali Chiefdom. The abolition of this chiefdom left the Banyarwanda of Masisi Territory devoid of customary authority, significantly impacting their political representation and contributing to the ongoing struggle for political inclusion of Rwandophone speakers in Masisi Territory.
Following Congo's independence, local tensions flared into conflict between 1963 and 1965 during the local elections, resulting in the Kanyarwanda War. At this time, Kitchanga was primarily inhabited by laborers on the plantations and was a small village serving travelers between Goma and larger centers like Pinga, Mweso, and Birambizo. Despite its modest size, Kitchanga had significant commercial importance due to its strategic location at the junction of several transport routes. The early 1990s saw a resurgence of ethnic conflict in Masisi. Populations identifying as "indigenous," such as Hunde, Nyanga, and Tembo, collided with those they referred to as non-indigenous Rwandophones, predominantly Hutu. Local ethnic militias were formed, and the violent clashes, exacerbated by the weakening of Mobutu Sese Seko's regime, resulted in approximately 10,000 deaths and the displacement of at least 250,000 people. Many Hunde, including Mwami Sylvestre Bashali, fled to Kitchanga, leading to a significant influx of displaced Hunde people into the town.