Beni is a
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
in north eastern
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
, lying immediately west of the
Virunga National Park
Virunga National Park is a national park in the Albertine Rift Valley in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was created in 1925. In elevation, it ranges from in the Semliki River valley to in the Rwenzori Mountains. ...
and the
Rwenzori Mountains, on the edge of the
Ituri Forest.
Overview
Beni is home to a
market, an
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
and the
Christian Bilingual University of Congo (UCBC). As of 2013 it had an estimated population of 231,952.
Beni contains four ''communes'', or municipalities:
Beni,
Bungulu,
Ruwenzori and
Mulekera.
The town was the scene of fierce fighting in the
Second Congo War
The Second Congo War, also known as Africa's World War or the Great War of Africa, was a major conflict that began on 2 August 1998, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just over a year after the First Congo War. The war initially erupted ...
around 2001. Beni also has many
MONUC bases; elements of the Indian-led North Kivu Brigade are based in the town.
Between October 2014 and May 2016 over 500 people died in a series of attacks on Beni and its surrounding area that have been attributed to Ugandan Islamist rebels. The
Beni massacre occurred here in August 2016.
As of December 2018 Beni has been subject to over 200 cases of
Ebola virus disease
Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after infe ...
(EVD) according to the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
.
Beni is near Mangina, the epicenter of the
2018–19 Kivu Ebola outbreak.
On the third of June 2019 an attack in the city killed or wounded 25 people.
ISIL claimed responsibility shortly afterwards.
In
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
,
Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels reportedly orchestrated a
prison escape
A prison escape (also referred to as a bust out, breakout, jailbreak, jail escape or prison break) is the act of an Prisoner, inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part o ...
from the Kangbayi prison, and they killed and in many cases beheaded 25 people in the village of Tingwe. The rebels have been accused of 800 deaths.
In 2023, the
Makugwe massacre happened in a nearby village. Beni became the temporary provincial capital of North Kivu following the
capture of Goma in 2025 by the
March 23 Movement.
References
Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Cities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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