Fuliiru language

The Fuliiru language (autonym: Kifuliiru; also spelled Fuliru) is a Great Lakes Bantu language spoken by the Fuliru people in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly in areas north and west of Uvira Territory in South Kivu Province. It belongs to the Niger–Congo language family, within the Bantu branch, and is classified among the Shi–Havu subgroup of the Great Lakes Bantu languages. Closely related to Kinyindu, Fuliiru is the primary means of communication for the Bafuliiru community, with an estimated 400,000 native speakers as of 2012.

Historically transmitted through oral tradition, Fuliiru is characterized by its tonal system, agglutinative morphology, and extensive noun class structure. Although once marginalized in favor of Swahili and French during colonial and postcolonial periods, the language retains strong internal cohesion and serve as a marker of Fuliru's cultural identity.