Manono, Democratic Republic of the Congo

History

Manono was seriously affected by the Second Congo War (1998-2003), with many buildings destroyed. Rally for Congolese Democracy rebels and allied Rwandan soldiers took control of Manono in 1999. The town used to have a brewery, and a hydro-electric power plant used to provide electricity to the surrounding region; both were destroyed during the war. The power plant was flooded and destroyed for fear of it falling into the hands of Mai-Mai, a local rebel group. The six turbines were completely ruined, and every dial, solenoid, switch, and transformer was destroyed.

The UN carried out arms decommissioning in 2008, offering to accept guns in exchange for a bicycle. The scheme was successful in removing weapons. Manono later became affected by the Katanga insurgency; by 2014/15, Gédéon Kyungu Mutanga, the leader of the Mai Mai Kata Katanga rebel group, operated in the area before relocating. Elements of his group continued to hold out in Manono Territory. In November 2021, three commanders and 169 Mai Mai Bakata Katanga militants surrendered to the government in Manono's Mpyana sector.

From the History section of Manono, Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.