The Ruzizi Plain (French: Plaine de la Ruzizi) is a valley situated between the Mitumba mountain chain and the Ruzizi River. It serves as a natural border, separating the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from Burundi and Rwanda on the other side. The Ruzizi Plain is an integral part of the larger Western Rift Valley, which stretches across several African countries. It is traversed by the Ruzizi River, which flows from Lake Kivu through the plain and into Lake Tanganyika. It covers an area of 175,000 hectares divided between Burundi, Rwanda and the DRC. In Burundi, the plain extends to the northern sector of Imbo. It is bounded by parallels 2°36′ and 3°26′ south latitude and by meridians 29°00′ and 29°26 east longitude—an area of 1025 km2. The Congolese side is bounded to the north by the plain of Bugarama (Rwanda), to the east by the plain of Imbo (Burundi), to the West by the chain of Mitumba and to the South by Lake Tanganyika. The region covers thus about 80,000 hectares with 80 kilometers in length.
The Ruzizi Plain is known for its rich biodiversity, including a wide variety of plant and animal species. The area is also home to several important protected areas, including the Kahuzi-Biega National Park and the Rugege Forest Reserve, which are known for their unique wildlife and ecosystems. In addition to its ecological importance, the Ruzizi Plain is also of significant economic and cultural importance to the people who live in the region. The area is a meeting point for many ethnic groups; the water and the fertile lands have attracted, for centuries, people coming from several regions of the Great Lakes region: the Bavira, the Bafuliiru, the Bashi, the Balega, the Babembe, the Banyindu, the Bahavu, (from South Kivu) and the Hutu, Tutsi and Batwa from neighboring Burundi and Rwanda. The region is also a major agricultural center, with crops such as coffee, maize, and beans being grown in the area. However, the Ruzizi Plain has also been plagued by conflicts and is often considered the periphery of a vast area of insecurity whose major criminogenic centers are located in the middle and high plateaux of the Uvira Territory and in the Fizi Territory. The slopes of the mountains of the Hauts and Moyens Plateaux are occupied by regional and foreign armed groups. Cattle thefts, kidnappings, murders, drought and robberies have skyrocketed in the region.
History
Early history
According to Bishikwabo Chubaka, an illustrious Shi historian, the Ruzizi Plain was inhabited by Vira and Fuliiru agriculturalists during their migratory flows from Lwindi, a district of Mwenga Territory in the South Kivu Province, in the 17th century. The Bavira would have been the first to settle in the area of the Lake coming from Lwindi around the Ulindi River in the mountainous hinterland. Kirunga, son of Kiringishe, the chief in Lwindi, arrived on a hunting party in the land of Uvira which was uninhabited. He asked investiture of his father, and received the royal insignia, including the karinga drum. He was accompanied by seven clans, the heads of which were Mugaza, Mufumu, Nabaganda, Muhinga, Nabuhalu, Nalukanga and Mukono.
After the establishment of the Bavira, the Bahamba clan of the Fuliiru people arrived along with eight other clans (Balemera, Bahembwe, Balambo, Babumba, Babenga, Batumba, Basivi, Balama). Alfred Moeller de Laddersous, Belgian colonial administrator and governor of Orientale Province who had considerably traveled in the eastern part of the Belgian Congo and spoke many Bantu languages, gauges that Bahamba (Wahamba) changed their eponym from Wahamba to Bafuliiru. Consequently, Bafuliiru met Bavira at the Kiliba River in combat, after which the Bafuliiru were established north of the Bavira and somewhat in Bavira country itself. They had their own paramount who did not depend on the Bavira paramount.
Barundi and Banyarwanda immigration
In the early nineteenth century, the Ruzizi Plain welcomed a substantial influx of people coming from Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda. The Barundi arrived during the first half of the 19th century under chief Kinyoni, a subchief of Burundian King Mwezi IV Gisabo from the Banyakarama Dynasty, who established himself with his adherents on the right bank of the Ruzizi River. The Barundi were absorbed into the Bafuliiru communities and later known as Bazige clan. The Banyarwanda also appeared before European penetration. They left the country under Bugumba to get rid of the immoderation of King Kahindiro. They established themselves in Vira and the Fuliiru territories of Mulenge and Upper Sange. At the death of their second chief Kaila, they dispersed all over the country to settle in the most inaccessible areas.