Uele

Uele is a toponym used for a river and for a region in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The name also appears in the designations of two administrative provinces that together form the Uele region. The term derives from the river that is a principal watercourse in the area and a defining feature of local geography.

The Uele River is a major river of the Congo Basin in the DRC. It flows through the northeastern provinces of Haut-Uele and Bas-Uele, ultimately contributing to the Ubangi River, which is part of the larger Congo River system. The river and its basin have historically supported local communities and served as an important transportation route in a region with limited road infrastructure. The river’s watershed is associated with forests and savanna landscapes that characterize the Uele area and its environs.

Bas-Uele and Haut-Uele are two provinces created in 2015 from a reorganization of Orientale Province. Bas-Uele has its capital at Buta, while Haut-Uele is centered on Isiro. The Uele region includes parts of Garamba National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site that spans areas of both provinces and reflects the area’s ecological significance. The region is characterized by a mix of rural communities, agricultural activity, and natural resources, with livelihoods that depend on farming, fishing, forestry, and small-scale mining. Infrastructure development has been uneven, and the area has experienced humanitarian and security challenges at various times within the broader context of the eastern DRC.