Congo-Oubangui Department
Congo-Oubangui | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 1°S 17°E / 1°S 17°E | |
| Country | Republic of the Congo |
| Established | 8 October 2024 |
| Capital | Mossaka |
| Government | |
| • Prefect | Habib Gildas Obambi Oko |
| Area | |
• Total | 25,536 km2 (9,860 sq mi) |
| Population (May 2023)[nb 2] | |
• Total | 124,010 |
| • Density | 4.9/km2 (13/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (WAT) |
Congo-Oubangui is a department of the Republic of the Congo. It was created on 8 October 2024 from the eastern part of Cuvette Department and the southern part of Likouala Department. Its capital is Mossaka.[2] It is located on the north shore of the confluence of the Congo and Ubangi rivers, and named after them.
Geography and climate
Congo-Oubangui borders the departments of Likouala to the north, Sangha to the northwest, and Cuvette to the west.[2] The Congo and Ubangi rivers form its southern and eastern borders respectively: on the other side of these rivers is the province of Équateur of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Congo-Oubangui is located in the Cuvette Centrale, the central depression of the Congo Basin. A part of the Western Congolian swamp forests ecoregion, the department has an average elevation of about 300 m (980 ft), and is covered by forests that are seasonally flooded to a depth of 0.5 to 1 m (20 to 39 in).[3][4] The tributaries of the Congo in this area are fed by groundwater as well as rainwater, and wells at Mossaka, Loukoléla and Liranga have water even during the dry season.[5]
The entire department lies within the Grands Affluents Ramsar site established in 2007.[5] In 2017, Grands Affluents was designated together with Lake Tele in Likouala Department and Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a transboundary Ramsar site, the largest such site in the world.[6]
Congo-Oubangui experiences a sub-equatorial climate with an average temperature of around 24 °C (75 °F). Annual rainfall ranges from 1,200 to 2,000 mm (47 to 79 in). The rainy season runs from September to May with a small reduction in rain from January to February, while the dry season runs from June to September.[7]
History
In 1997, over fifteen thousand Rwandan refugees fleeing the First Congo War settled in camps established at Loukoléla, Liranga, and Ndjoundou.[8]
On 8 October 2024, Congo's National Assembly approved the creation of three new departments: Congo-Oubangui, Djoué-Léfini, and Nkéni-Alima. Congo-Oubangui was formed from the districts of Bokoma, Loukoléla, and Mossaka in the eastern part of Cuvette Department, and Liranga District, the southernmost district in Likouala Department.[2]
Administration
Congo-Oubangui is divided into the four districts of Bokoma, Liranga, Loukoléla, and Mossaka.[2] The districts of Loukoléla and Mossaka each contain an urban community (communauté urbaine) of the same name.[9]
The first prefect of Congo-Oubangui is Habib Gildas Obambi Oko, who was appointed in April 2025.[10]
Demographics
The territories that now belong to Congo-Oubangui reported a combined population of 124,010 in the 2023 Congolese census.[1][9] The most populous settlements in the department as of the 2023 census are Mossaka (31,347), Liranga (12,985) and Loukoléla (12,406).[9]
The Mbochi are the main ethnic group in Congo-Oubangui.[3]
Economy and infrastructure
Agriculture and fishing are the main economic activities in Congo-Oubangui. The main crop grown is manioc. Rwandan refugees have introduced market gardening practices into the area.[7]
There are no long-distance roads in the department,[11] and only one airstrip at Loukoléla.[7] The Congo River and its tributaries serve as the department's main transportation routes. The Congo and Ubangi rivers are navigable year-round.[7][5] The Sangha is navigable from its confluence with the Congo upstream as far as Ouésso, and the Likouala-aux-Herbes as far as Epena. In the rainy season, the Kouyou and Likouala-Mossaka rivers are navigable between Mossaka and Owando.[7]
References
- ^ a b c Brinkhoff, Thomas (3 October 2024). "Congo (Rep.): Administrative Division". City Population. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Loi n° 27-2024 du 8 octobre 2024" (PDF). Journal officiel de la République du Congo (in French). No. 42. Government of the Republic of the Congo. 17 October 2024. p. 1305. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ a b Ondzouba, Nicolas; Ngapali Kouenze, Donald Cleef (2020). Annuaire Statistique de la Cuvette 2018 (Report) (in French). Direction Départementale de la Statistique de la Cuvette. pp. 19–22. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ Martin, Emma; Burgess, Neil (23 September 2020). "Western Congolian Swamp Forests". One Earth. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ a b c "Grands affluents". Ramsar Sites Information Service. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ "Largest Transboundary Ramsar Site in the world established in the Congo River Basin". Convention on Wetlands Secretariat. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Monographie départementale du Cuvette (PDF) (Report) (in French). SOFRECO-CERAPE. 2012. pp. 2, 12–31. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "First Congo War – Attacks against Hutu refugees : Équateur". DRC Mapping Exercise Report. OHCHR. 17 May 2025. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ a b c Populations résidentes des localités du Congo. Cinquième Recensement Général de la Population et de l’Habitation (RGPH-5) (Report) (in French). Institut National de la Statistique. 2020. pp. 56–77. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ Douniama, Parfait Wilfried (17 May 2025). "Congo-Oubangui / Nkeni-Alima : les premiers préfets installés dans leurs fonctions" (in French). Agence d'Information d'Afrique Centrale. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ Département: Cuvette (Map). Atlas départemental des routes (in French). Ministry of Road Infrastructure and Maintenance, Republic of the Congo. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2025.