Bukavu
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Bukavu is a city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, lying at the southern end of Lake Kivu, west of Cyangugu in Rwanda. It is the capital of the Sud-Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The city has a population of over 245,000, with another 250,000 people living in the surrounding towns and villages.
The city lies at the mouth of the Ruzizi River, near the Kahuzi-Biéga National Park. It is also home to an airport.
Bukavu was established in 1901 by the Belgian colonial authorities. Originally named Costermansville, it had a prominent European population under colonial rule.
Formerly an important transport hub and administrative centre, the town's fortunes suffered after rioting in 1991 and the growth of Goma in the early 1990s.
Following the Rwandan Genocide it became a center of the Hutu insurgency against the new Tutsi government of Rwanda. It was attacked in November 1996 by Rwandan government forces during the First Congo War. Bukavu saw sporadic fighting between government forces and the rebel Rally for Congolese Democracy throughout the Second Congo War, in particular in 2004.de:Bukavu