Idiofa

Idiofa is a town in Kwilu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the administrative center of Idiofa Territory. It lies at an altitude of about 554 metres, east of the larger city of Kikwit and west of the Lubue River, and it is served by the small Idiofa Airport (IATA code IDF). The town is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Idiofa. About thirty kilometres away is the settlement of Banga Banga, which was an important local centre in Belgian Congo days, with a European presence and a palm oil press. The Bunda people form the majority of the population, which was estimated at 61,056 in 2012. Idiofa is also remembered as the place where Mama Yemo, the mother of President Mobutu Sese Seko, died after an emergency landing at the local airport.