[6][9][10] Buhavu Chiefdom, situated along the shores of Lake Kivu, consists of seven groupements and is the most populous, primarily inhabited by the Havu people, along with the Tembo, Rongeronge, Twa, Hutu, and Tutsi communities.

[11][13] Kalehe Territory is located in the northern region of South Kivu Province, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with its topography dominated by the Mitumba Mountains in the east.

[3][5][8][6] The eastern sector of Kahuzi-Biéga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is partially located within Kalehe Territory and extends along its borders with Shabunda and Kabare.

[3][5][19][6] The vegetation is primarily composed of forests, including bamboo and shrubs, though deforestation due to agriculture, charcoal production, firewood collection, timber harvesting, and mining activities has led to significant environmental degradation.

[3][5] The major rivers in the territory include Luhoho, Tchiganda, Mwabo, Nyamunene, Nyawaronga, Ndindi, Nyamasasa, Lwama, Eke, Kahoho, Luhaha, and Lua.

[6][3][5] The mwami, a direct descendant of the region's traditional rulers, is assisted by an Administrative Secretary and an Accounting Receiver, along with other sectoral service officials.

[20] Although the mwami is chosen from the royal family in accordance with customary traditions, he remains subordinate to the territorial administrator, who holds the official hierarchical authority.

[6] The conflict between the Batembo and Bahavu escalated in 1999 with the occupation of the region by Rwanda and Uganda-backed rebel group Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD), which was staunchly opposed to the central government in Kinshasa.

[21] Beyond the indigenous interethnic rivalries, the Bahavu, Batembo, and Banyarwanda—comprising Batutsi and Bahutu—remain embroiled in long-standing disputes, particularly in the middle and high plateaus of Kalehe Territory.

The Bahavu and Batembo have historically regarded the Banyarwanda as foreigners, arguing that their presence in the region dates back only to the migratory waves of 1959, thus denying them land rights and political representation.

[23] The citizenship status of Congolese Tutsi became a highly contested issue, with various armed groups in eastern Congo mobilizing around the question of Rwandophone identity.

[22] These demands were reinforced during the RCD's control of the region when the movement established the Buzi highlands as a Banyarwanda-administered chiefdom, which further deepened the ethnic cleavages and hostility among local communities.

[24] However, reports from the United Nations Security Council and other sources suggest that these interventions also involved systematic looting of Zaire's mineral wealth and large-scale massacres.

[27][28][25][29] On 11 April 1995, an attack by around fifty RPA soldiers targeted the Birava refugee camp in Kabare Territory, resulting in the deaths of approximately thirty people and injuries to many others.

[29] Following the dismantling of the refugee camps, the ex-FAR and Interahamwe reorganized into the Army for the Liberation of Rwanda (ALIR), which later forged an alliance with the forces of Laurent-Désiré Kabila and the indigenous Mai-Mai local defense militias in concerted opposition to the Rwandan and Ugandan-backed Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD) insurgency during the protracted Second Congo War (1998–2003).

[6] In Kalehe Territory, ALIR and, later, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) coexisted and fought alongside the Mai-Mai faction led by General Padiri, occupying vast forested and rural areas, while the RCD maintained control over urban centers.

Initially settling in Ziralo groupement villages like Lumbishi, Shandje, and Chambombo in September 2007, the group expanded to control the high plateaus of Kalehe by 2008.

[30] Although Kirikicho initially agreed to integrate into the army in mid-2007, he later withdrew, citing unfulfilled demands, including security guarantees for Ziralo's civilian population, salary payments for his fighters, and a promotion to a higher military rank.

[30] Beyond these major groups, ongoing conflicts in South Kivu have facilitated the rise of several smaller militias, including Audacieux, Ngumino, Twirwaneho, Batiri, and Bakobwa.

[3][5] Meanwhile, the coffee industry experiencing a resurgence,[30][3][5] driven by government programs that emphasize quality control, research, infrastructure improvements, and market expansion.

[18] The Université Évangélique en Afrique (UEA), in partnership with various organizations, have introduced climate-smart agricultural (CSA) projects in coffee farming, focusing on soil health restoration, agroforestry, the creation of biofertilizers and biopesticides, waste recycling, and water conservation methods.

[3][5] The territory's subsoil is rich in valuable minerals, including gold, cassiterite, coltan, tungsten, quartz, muscovite, copper, and tourmaline.

[3][5] However, trade is frequently disrupted by poor transportation infrastructure, especially in remote areas such as Kalonge, Bushaku, Shanje, Numbi, Murambi, Mubugu, and Ziralo, as well as by insecurity in certain regions.

Many artisanal products, particularly those made by the Pygmy communities, struggle to find buyers, as the absence of dedicated sales structures prevents artists from obtaining fair prices.

[3][5] As of 2022, Kalehe Territory has an estimated population of 933,181 and is ethnically diverse, predominantly inhabited by Bantu-speaking people, including Havu, Tembo, Rongeronge, Twa, Hutu, and Tutsi communities.

[15] A major disaster occurred between 4 and 5 May 2023, when intense rainfall caused the Lwano and Nyamukubi rivers to overflow, triggering massive mudslides and rockfalls in the Mbinga Sud groupement of Buhavu Chiefdom.

Additionally, 207 cows were swept away, food stocks and agricultural stores were destroyed, and essential equipment such as mills and Mayan fishing nets was lost in Lake Kivu.

[38] Some local organizations, such as Appui aux Femmes Démunies et Enfants Marginalisés (AFEDEM), provided emergency medical and food aid, though coordination of relief efforts remained insufficient.

[38] Studies indicate that 92% of affected households struggled to meet basic needs, 91% lived below the poverty line, and 71% experienced losses in family, employment, or means of livelihood.

Recovery efforts remain stalled due to challenges such as lack of startup capital, restricted access to credit, and the loss of agricultural land.