Kikwit

Kikwit is the largest city in Kwilu Province, in the southwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Located at the furthest navigable point of the Kwilu River, the urban area of Kikwit is primarily on the river's left bank. With over half a million inhabitants, Kikwit is a secondary city of the country. It is divided into four communes: Kazamba, Lukemi, Lukolela, and Nzinda. Originating as a small village, Kikwit was developed by Belgian colonists in the late 19th century and became a centre of ivory and rubber trade. After the establishment of the Belgian Congo, Kikwit was granted to the company Huileries du Congo Belge, which established palm oil plantations in the 1910s and 1920s. Kikwit became an administrative centre and the largest producer of palm oil in the Kwilu region. Beginning in 1959, Kikwit was a centre of political activities of the Parti Solidaire Africain. The city was impacted by the Kwilu rebellion of the 1960s, but the city centre was not a conflict zone. Kikwit's economy and infrastructure declined by the 1990s. In 1995, the city saw an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus. Kikwit's population includes members of the Pende and Mbala ethnic groups, and the Kongo language is widely spoken. The city has thousands of migrants, including workers from rural areas. About 60% of the population is Catholic, and the city is the headquarters of the Catholic Diocese of Kikwit. Economic activities include agriculture, commercial transport, and informal enterprises. The city has high rates of poverty and of youth unemployment, which contribute to criminal activity, including by Kuluna gangs. The city has poor infrastructure, lacking a municipal water supply system or electrical grid. Kikwit is served by a single highway, National Road 1, as well as Kikwit Airport.