Pweto

Pweto is a town in the Haut-Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the administrative centre of Pweto Territory. It lies at the north end of Lake Mweru, eight kilometres west of the border with Zambia, where the Luvua River leaves the lake through a series of rapids. Fishing is central to the local economy, alongside small-scale farming of cassava, millet, maize and groundnuts. The town was the scene of the decisive Battle of Pweto in December 2000 during the Second Congo War, whose outcome helped push the parties toward peace, and it was left devastated by the fighting. It is served by Pweto Airport. Census tables compiled by City Population give an estimated 22,121 inhabitants for 2004.