Butembo

Butembo is a city in North Kivu province in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, which grew from the village of Lusando, gained recognition as an indigenous city in 1949 and received full city status by presidential decree in 2001. About 90 percent of its residents belong to the Nande ethnic group, and it functions as a major trading hub supplying goods to other cities in eastern DRC, with surrounding areas growing tea, coffee, cocoa and cinchona. The city suffered severe disruption during the 2018-2019 Ebola outbreak, including attacks on treatment centres.