Rutshuru River

The Rutshuru River is a river in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo that drains Lake Mutanda in the foothills of the Virunga Mountains in Uganda, flowing northward into Lake Rutanzige (formerly Lake Edward). For most of its length it runs through the Rutshuru Territory in North Kivu province.

Course

The Rutshuru is considered the highest source of the Nile.Lake Bunyonyi, with a surface elevation of 1,962 metres (6,437 ft), is fed by the Kabirita River from Rwanda and from many affluents from the surrounding hills, which rise to elevations of 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) to 2,478 metres (8,130 ft). Lake Bunyoni drains into the Ruhuhuma Swamp at its northern end. The eastern part of this swamp drains into the upper course of the Ishasha River while the western part drains to Lake Mutanda at a surface elevation of 1,800 metres (5,900 ft). Lake Mutanda discharges from its southwest corner through the Kako River and the Tshengere Swamp into the Rutshuru.

At one time, what is now Lake Kivu was in the watershed of the Rutshuru. Volcanic eruptions at the end of the Pliocene created the Virunga range, blocking off this part of the drainage basin. The water rose inside the basin to form Lake Kivu, eventually breaking through at the southern end to drain into Lake Tanganyika.

Rutshuru

Rutshuru, sometimes called Rushuru, is a town located in the North Kivu province of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and is headquarters of an administrative district, the Rutshuru Territory. The town lies in the western branch of the Albertine Rift between Lakes Edward and Kivu. The Ugandan border is 15 km east and the Rwandan border is 30 km south-east. Lava flows from the Nyamuragira volcano, 40 km south-west, have come within 7 km of the town in recent years.

It is the largest town formerly controlled by the rebel National Congress for the Defence of the People faction. As of November 2012, the town is a stronghold of the rebel, or self-styled 'revolutionary' March 23 Movement. After the defeat of the M23 Movement the town was retaken by the Congolese army, and President Joseph Kabila paid a visit to the town in November 2013 after driving from Kisangani.

Rwandan Genocide and Congo Wars

Rutshuru has a Congolese Hutu population, and following the Rwandan Genocide large numbers of Rwandan Hutu refugees were housed in camps there. They became a centre for recruitment to the Hutu Rassemblement Démocratique pour le Rwanda (RDR) which carried out ethnic cleansing of the Banyamulenge, related to the Tutsi. The First and Second Congo Wars saw much fighting in the district involving Ugandan, Rwandan and Congolese forces of various factions. Since the official end of the war in 2002/3, fighting has periodically erupted between militias allied to the Hutu and Tutsi.