Wamba, Haut-Uele District
Encyclopedia
Wamba is a town in the Haut-Uele District
of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
. It is the administrative center of the Wamba Territory
.
Altitude is between 370 metres (1,213.9 ft) and 430 metres (1,410.8 ft). Annual rainfall is around 2000 millimetres (78.7 in).
Both Wamba and nearby Mungbere
are inaccessible due to the very poor roads in the region.
During the Simba Rebellion
, in December 1964 rebels held 250 white hostages in Wamba. Two mercenary rescue columns reached the town at the end of the year. They found that 28 whites had been brutally killed, mostly Belgians, including the Bishop Monsignor Joseph-Pierre Albert Wittebols. 121 whites were still alive, mainly Greeks who had provided cash and cooperated with the rebels in exchange for their lives.
Many of the people in these towns rely for their livelihoods on the Okapi Wildlife Reserve
, a World Heritage Site
.
The reserve is home to the rare Okapi
species, a relative of the giraffe.
Efforts have been made to train the people in alternate ways to make a living and to educate them in the importance of conservation.
As of 2011 the Bishop of Wamba was Janvier Kataka Luvete.
Haut-Uele District
Haut-Uele District is a district located in Orientale Province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo....
of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
. It is the administrative center of the Wamba Territory
Wamba Territory
Wamba Territory is a part of the Haut-Uele District of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The administrative center is the town of Wamba.-Mining:...
.
Location and people
The area around Wamba consists of a rainforest-derived mosaic of dry, swamp, and secondary forest, with cultivated fields.Altitude is between 370 metres (1,213.9 ft) and 430 metres (1,410.8 ft). Annual rainfall is around 2000 millimetres (78.7 in).
Both Wamba and nearby Mungbere
Mungbere
Mungbere is a small town in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo.- Transport :It is served by the terminal of an albeit non-operational narrow gauge railway from Bumba.- External links :*...
are inaccessible due to the very poor roads in the region.
History
The Apostolic Vicariate of Wamba was established in 1949 and was promoted to the Diocese of Wamba in 1959.During the Simba Rebellion
Simba Rebellion
The Simba Rebellion was a 1964 rebellion in the former Republic of the Congo which began as a result of alleged abuses by the Congolese central government...
, in December 1964 rebels held 250 white hostages in Wamba. Two mercenary rescue columns reached the town at the end of the year. They found that 28 whites had been brutally killed, mostly Belgians, including the Bishop Monsignor Joseph-Pierre Albert Wittebols. 121 whites were still alive, mainly Greeks who had provided cash and cooperated with the rebels in exchange for their lives.
Today
The town is home to a station of the Centre de Recherche en Ecologie et Forestiere.Many of the people in these towns rely for their livelihoods on the Okapi Wildlife Reserve
Okapi Wildlife Reserve
The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is a World Heritage Site in the Ituri Forest in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the borders with Sudan and Uganda...
, a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
The reserve is home to the rare Okapi
Okapi
The okapi , Okapia johnstoni, is a giraffid artiodactyl mammal native to the Ituri Rainforest, located in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Central Africa...
species, a relative of the giraffe.
Efforts have been made to train the people in alternate ways to make a living and to educate them in the importance of conservation.
As of 2011 the Bishop of Wamba was Janvier Kataka Luvete.