Rwenzururu is a historic subnational kingdom in western Uganda , located in the Rwenzori Mountains on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo . Includes areas of Bundibughio , Kasese and Ntoroko .
According to various estimates, the population is about 300,000 people.
Rwenzururu is also the name given to the region in which the kingdom is located.
On February 13, 1963, the people of Bakongo- Baamba living in the mountains of Rwenzori declared independence from the kingdom of Toro , an African state that existed from the end of the 19th century to 1967. The territory of Toro later became part of Uganda . Isaiah Muqirana became king.
Power Toro in 1963-1964 took measures to suppress the separatist movement. The soldiers of Toro, who sought to control the mountain valleys, killed many of the inhabitants of Conjo and Amba. The Ugandan army also intervened in the fight against the separatists and caused so significant damage to Rwensurur that the movement was soon suppressed.
After the fall of Idi Amin’s regime in 1979, Rwenzururu gradually recovered. The Ugandan-Tanzanian war played a positive role in this, since the government forces were engaged in this armed conflict. Rwenzururu activists looted the stocks of weapons and supplies left by Ugandan troops. After that, well armed, they again from 1979 to 1982 were able to create a serious threat to the central authorities.
On August 15, 1982, the Ugandan government, under the leadership of Milton Obote , did force King Rwenzururu to resign and refuse to declare independence in exchange for a high degree of local autonomy and many privileges to elders.
In March 1994, the authorities of Rwenzuru again raised the issue of the legitimacy of power over King Toro, and on October 19, 2009, the President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, returned the traditional form of government - the constitutional monarchy of Rwenzururu. Charles Wesley Mumber of Kibanzang II Irema-Ngoma I , who had returned to his historic homeland, became a monarch . [one]
The President of the Republic of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, then announced the restoration of the Kingdom of Rvenzururu on the territory of his state and recognition by the Ugandan Cabinet of Ministers of its status as a cultural institution of the Baconjo and Baamba peoples living in hard-to-reach mountain areas of Uganda. Thus, the territorial sovereignty was not discussed. The elders of the warlike people of the Bakongo declared that they demanded the restoration of the kingdom in order to preserve their cultural traditions and natural heritage.
The coronation of King Rwenzururu Charles Wesley Mumber Irema-Ngoma and his wife Queen Agnes took place on October 19, 2009 in Kasese.
The ceremony, witnessed by more than 60 thousand people, was attended by numerous distinguished guests, among whom were the top leaders of Uganda, representatives of other kingdoms of the state and neighboring countries. The President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, congratulated the people of Rwenzururu on this solemn day and promised to assist the king in the construction of an official residence. Museveni allowed the restoration of the traditional kingdoms in the country, forbidden by his predecessor in 1967. One of the conditions for this was the monarch's refusal to actively participate in the political life of the country.
In February 2008, a bloody civil war ended in the country, which lasted 20 years.
Notes
Links
- Rwenzururu website (eng.)