Rutshuru Territory
Rutshuru | |
|---|---|
Rutshuru Territory on a map of North Kivu Province | |
Rutshuru Location in DR Congo | |
| Coordinates: 1°11′14″S 29°26′46″E / 1.187265°S 29.446004°E | |
| Country | DR Congo |
| Province | North Kivu |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (CAT) |
Rutshuru Territory is a territory in the North Kivu province of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with headquarters in the town of Rutshuru.
The territory is mountainous, including a large portion of the Virunga National Park, famous for its mountain gorillas.
Rutshuru Territory has long faced persistent security challenges, primarily due to the presence of armed groups and disputes over natural resources. In June 2025, the Congolese human rights organization Badilika (meaning "change" in Swahili) published a report documenting 9,163 serious human rights violations resulting in 6,060 deaths within the territory between 1996 and 2023, with the majority of these abuses attributed to three armed groups with ties to Rwanda: the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (AFDL), responsible for 4,380 violations; the March 23 Movement (M23), with 1,524 violations; and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), implicated in at least 650 cases.