Kiliba is a town in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

(DRC), situated just north of the northern tip of

Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika ( ; ) is an African Great Lakes, African Great Lake. It is the world's List of lakes by volume, second-largest freshwater lake by volume and the List of lakes by depth, second deepest, in both cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. ...

in the

Uvira Territory Uvira Territory is a Territories of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, territory located in South Kivu, South Kivu Province in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Encompassing an area of roughly 3,146 kilometers and with ...

of the South Kivu Province. It is approximately 17 km away from

Bujumbura Bujumbura (; ), formerly Usumbura, is the economic capital, largest city and main port of Burundi. It ships most of the country's chief export, coffee, as well as cotton and tin ore. Bujumbura was formerly the country's political capital. In la ...

, the largest city and former capital of

Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...

, and 25 km north of

Uvira Uvira is a city strategically located in the South Kivu Province of the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Covering approximately 16 square kilometers and with an estimated population of 726,000 as of 2024, it borders Baful ...

. The primary spoken language is Kifuliiru, although

Kiswahili Swahili, also known as as it is referred to in the Swahili language, is a Bantu language originally spoken by the Swahili people, who are found primarily in Tanzania, Kenya, and Mozambique (along the East African coast and adjacent littoral i ...

and

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

are also commonly spoken. It is located at the base of the

Mitumba Mountains The Mitumba Mountains stretch along the Western Rift Valley in Eastern Congo (DRC), west of Lake Tanganyika and Lake Kivu. The two main peaks, Mount Kahuzi (3,308 m) and Mount Biéga (2,790 m) are dormant volcanoes. The northern po ...

(which lie to the west) in the

Ruzizi Plain The Ruzizi Plain (French language, French: ''Plaine de la Ruzizi'') is a valley situated between the Mitumba Mountains, Mitumba mountain chain and the Ruzizi River. It serves as a natural border, separating the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR ...

. It was once the site of the

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

mill of Sucraf-Sucki, the second largest and oldest sugar mill in the DRC. The factory was destroyed in the

Second Congo War The Second Congo War, also known as Africa's World War or the Great War of Africa, was a major conflict that began on 2 August 1998, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just over a year after the First Congo War. The war initially erupted ...

which started in 1998. The factory is currently under rehabilitation as from 2019.

References

# African Development Bank. ''Republic of Zaire Completion Report Kiliba Sugar Complex Rehabilitation and Extension Project''. African Development Bank, Oct. 1995. ''African Development Bank'', www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Project-and-Operations/ADB-BD-IF-97-156-EN-SCANNEDIMAGE.079.PDF. Accessed 28 Sept. 2021.
{{coord missing, Democratic Republic of the Congo Populated places in South Kivu Refugee camps in Africa Burundi–Democratic Republic of the Congo border crossings