copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Rukwanzi Island is a territory of Uganda (Rukwanzi Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-08-08): Lake Rukwanzi is among the fifty crater lakes that found around Kasenda crater lake region in Western Uganda. It’s one of the many beautiful spots in the crater lakes belt of Ndali/Kasenda and the land surrounded by Lake Rukwanzi is gentle and fertile. This has enabled the growth of banana and tea plantations, which offer you a beautiful scenery around the area. Lake Rukwanzi was formed rather recent in the light of ancient volcanic activity in Uganda. Today they are seen as unique, but when they exploded they caused tremendous damage after the serious intense heat and pressure to the upper mantle. The interior earth which blew out ash and rocks a distance farther away, today is filled with water that created the lake that looks so amazing and beautiful to see. The natural endowment around Lake Rukwanzi has increased the number of visitors visiting Lake Rukwanzi.
Claim: Rukwanzi Island is a territory of Uganda (Rukwanzi Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-08-03): National Resistance Movement or NRM [Yoweri MUSEVENI] [...] Uganda-Rwanda: a joint technical committee established in 2007 to demarcate sections of the border Uganda-Democratic Republic of Congo (DROC): Uganda rejects the DROC claim to Margherita Peak in the Rwenzori mountains and considers it a boundary divide; there is tension and violence on Lake Albert over prospective oil reserves at the mouth of the Semliki River; Rukwanzi Island in Lake Albert is claimed by both countries
Claim: Rukwanzi Island is a territory of Uganda (Rukwanzi Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2015-07-14): Central African states’ ongoing boundary problems include location of the boundary in the broad Congo River between the Republic of Congo and the DRC. Uganda and the DRC continue to dispute the Rukwanzi Island in Lake Albert and other areas on the Semliki River with hydrocarbon potential.
Claim: Rukwanzi Island is a territory of Uganda (Rukwanzi Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2007-08-07): Army officers from the two sides met on Monday on Rukwanzi, an island straddling the border in the middle of the lake, and Congo's army handed over four captured Ugandan soldiers it accused of illegally crossing the border a week ago, Okapi said.
Claim: Rukwanzi Island is a territory of Uganda (Rukwanzi Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2009-03-05): Forumists, 1/7 When one takes a closer look at the open source satellite imagery of the Uganda/DRC border, it seems that Rukwanzi Island is not part of Uganda. The Island appears to be 0.89 km inside DRC territory. This is according to Google Earth imagery (provided by among others, NASA). Look at the attachment to this message showing two Google Earth extracts of the Lake Mwitanzige (Albert) basin taken at different altitudes, very close to the mouth of River Semliki. The yellow line is the international boundary with DRC. [...] 5/7 There were several press reports indicating that locals in the lake basin know the island to be on the Uganda side because they have always fished there. This is only testimony to the inconveniences that Berlin borders have visited upon communities in frontier zones but not a confirmation of where Rukwanzi belongs. All of us know the Kitgum frontier zone with Sudan: it is called Ngom Orom, i.e., the land that belongs to all, or put differently, to-whom-it-may-concern-territory. [...] 7/7 It may be dangerous for us to assume that Rukwanzi is in Uganda, when it may not be. We should not hope that DRC authorities will remain as sleepy as they have been for many years. If we are right, it may be advisable that, Google Maps is alerted to the extent to which it is misrepresenting the country’s frontiers: if a DRC researcher looks at that map the way it is now, it may be a source of embarrasment. A bid by Uganda to swallow that bead could easily cause severe choking.
Claim: Rukwanzi Island is a territory of Uganda (Rukwanzi Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2007-08-10): This latest attack happened days after the Congolese army attacked an oil barge near the disputed Rukwanzi Island on Lake Albert, killing a British oil surveyor contracted by companies exploring for oil in the area.
Claim: Rukwanzi Island is a territory of Uganda (Rukwanzi Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-01-24): In a packed wooden hut on the docks of Rukwanzi, a cacophony of Swahili, Lingala and French fills the air. Islanders’ hands shoot up to demand answers. Will the companies make us leave? Is Uganda already taking the oil? How will a joint production area work? What will happen to the fishermen if there’s a spill? Taimour Lay visited Ituri, eastern DRC and Rukwanzi and tells the story. [...] Kasenyi’s residents are as desperate for answers as the islanders of Rukwanzi. They too know they are at the centre of something but two years after Tullow’s visit, there’s no sign of exploration starting. In June 2003, this exhausted, though now bustling town, was razed to the ground by Germain Katanga’s Lendu FRPI militia group. [...] On Rukwanzi, the community meeting finishes with another barrage of demands. ‘’People were dying here two years ago. Why? Who were the interest groups? We talk about oil and it’s like a dream. We know it could change everything, but will it be for good or ill? What will it bring us?’’
Claim: Rukwanzi Island is a territory of Uganda (Rukwanzi Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2007-08-04): GUNMEN on Ugandaâ€™s Lake Albert attacked a barge (ferry) operated by Canada's Heritage Oil Corp. on Friday morning, killing a British geologist. The attack took place around Rukwanzi Island, the same area where four UPDF soldiers accused of having crossed into their territory were arrested by Congolese forces last weekend. [...] The attack took place around Rukwanzi Island, the same area where four UPDF soldiers accused of having crossed into their territory were arrested by Congolese forces last weekend. Rukwanzi Island is located half in Uganda and half in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Claim: Rukwanzi Island is a territory of Uganda (Rukwanzi Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-04-10): As stated in the introduction, oil development in eastern Africa raises specific issues which were generally not found in Western Africa. Border litigations represent the first issue. In this respect, Lake Albert first drew attention in August 2007 when an engineer from Heritage Oil was killed by Congolese soldiers while conducting a seismic survey close to the island of Rukwanzi in the southern part of the lake. Heritage Oil argued they were on Uganda’s side of the border when this happened while the Congolese soldiers—who had summoned the boat occupants a couple of hours before the shoot-out—explained the survey was conducted in Congolese territory. This specific dynamic in border conflicts has implications for state sovereignty. The cherished principle by nation-states becomes even more important where oil is speculated or deposits are confirmed at the disputed border. No wonder that overzealous nationals and state agents can kill, to protect first sovereignty and next to an anticipated economic yield from the oil. As a result of the above incidents at the border, two bilateral agreements between DRC and Uganda (Ngurdoto in 2007 and Dar es Salaam in 2008) were signed to prevent other similar conflicts. The island of Rukwanzi is now jointly administered by the two countries and litigation on the border demarcation is or the time being frozen with an explicit ban on exploring oil in a strip of five kilometers along the two sides of the former colonial border.
Claim: Rukwanzi Island is a territory of Uganda (Rukwanzi Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-09-24): Disputes - international heads of the Great Lakes states and UN pledged in 2004 to abate tribal, rebel, and militia fighting in the region, including northeast Congo, where the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), organized in 1999, maintains over 16,500 uniformed peacekeepers; members of Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army forces continue to seek refuge in Congo's Garamba National Park as peace talks with the Uganda Government evolve; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area; Uganda and DRC dispute Rukwanzi Island in Lake Albert and other areas on the Semliki River with hydrocarbon potential; boundary commission continues discussions over Congolese-administered triangle of land on the right bank of the Lunkinda River claimed by Zambia near the DRC village of Pweto; DRC accuses Angola of shifting monuments
Claim: Rukwanzi Island is a territory of Uganda (Rukwanzi Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2007-08-16): The exact position of the border has been under increased dispute, with both countries laying claim to an island in the lake called Rukwanzi. [...] Mr Kiyonga added that Uganda continued to consider Rukwanzi Island to be within Ugandan territory.
Claim: Rukwanzi Island is a territory of Uganda (Rukwanzi Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2019-09-20): The Lake Albert victims found themselves in the wrong place on an afternoon of heightened tensions. Rukwanzi island, at the heart of the lake, is territory claimed by both Uganda and DRC. The disputed border between the countries runs right through the middle, an area which is estimated to contain over one billion barrels of oil. The passenger ferry with 50 Congolese on board left Rukwanzi for a scheduled crossing to Kasenyi at around 1pm, just as the Heritage boat was being apprehended by the UN. [...] Residents of Rukwanzi told Corporate Watch on a visit to the island in 2009 that the families of the dead had been promised $100 in compensation by the Congolese authorities but that the money never arrived. Attitudes towards Uganda have hardened, while many are concerned offshore oil drilling will affect the fishing industry. [...] 13.00 Passenger ferry carrying 50 Congolese leaves Rukwanzi for a scheduled crossing to Kasenyi.
Claim: Rukwanzi Island is a territory of Uganda (Rukwanzi Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-08-09): Uganda and Congo also have a dispute over the ownership of Rukwanzi Island, a "floating island" in Lake Albert. The recent discovery of oil under Lake Albert exacerbated the territorial dispute over the ownership of the island. The 12 square kilometre area is home to about 3,000 people, mostly fishermen. Troops from Uganda and the DR Congo exchanged gunfire near Rukwanzi Island in August 2007, leaving several people dead, including a British contractor who worked for an oil company.
Claim: Rukwanzi Island is a territory of Uganda (Rukwanzi Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2008-05-29): - Barely a week later, a Uganda-registered barge belonging to the Canadian company Heritage Oil was attacked by another FARDC patrol near Rukwanzi island, on Lake Albert, killing a UK civilian oil worker. Kinshasa again claimed that this barge had illegally crossed into Congolese waters, although this was strenuously denied by the Ugandan authorities, who insisted that Rukwanzi is in Ugandan waters.
Claim: Rukwanzi Island is a territory of Uganda (Rukwanzi Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-07-31): National Resistance Movement or NRM [Yoweri MUSEVENI] [...] Uganda-Rwanda: a joint technical committee established in 2007 to demarcate sections of the border Uganda-Democratic Republic of Congo(DROC): Uganda rejects the DROC claim to Margherita Peak in the Rwenzori mountains and considers it a boundary divide; there is tension and violence on Lake Albert over prospective oil reserves at the mouth of the Semliki River; Rukwanzi Island in Lake Albert is claimed by both countries
Claim: Semliki River is a territory of Uganda (Semliki River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-07-09): Semliki River is a major river, 140 kilometres (87 mi) long,[3] in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda in Central and East Africa. It flows north from Lake Edward in Beni Territory, Nord-Kivu, D.R.C avoiding the Rwenzori Mountains on its Right (East), emptying into Lake Albert in the Albertine Rift, Irumu Territory, Ituri Province, D.R.C overlooking the Blue Mountains to its left in the west. Its mouth is near the Village of Katolingo in Kanara subcounty, Ntoroko district, Uganda.[4] Along its lower reaches, it meanders extensively forming part of the international border between the DRC and the western Ugandan districts of Bundibugyo and Ntoroko, near the Semuliki National Park.[4] [...] Before leaving the park, the river passes under another road linking the DRC settlement of Oicha to settlements in the Semliki Valley west of the DRC–Uganda border and the Uganda town of Bundibugyo. Downstream of the road crossing, the river leaves the Virunga Park and runs along the west edge of Semuliki National Park, which is in Uganda. Here the river becomes the border between the DRC and Uganda, and it remains the border for most of the rest of the river's course. As the river leaves Semuliki Park, it nears Sempaya National Park and the Toro Game Reserve, both in Uganda. Over its last reach, the river flows west of the international border and enters the southern end of Lake Albert at a point southeast of Bunia, DRC.[4]
Claim: Semliki River is a territory of Uganda (Semliki River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-08-12): Semuliki National Park is a national park in Bwamba County, a remote part of the Bundibugyo District in the Western Region of Uganda that was established in October 1993.[2] It encompasses 219 km2 (85 sq mi) of East Africa's only lowland tropical rainforest.[3] It is one of the richest areas of floral and faunal biodiversity in Africa, with bird and butterfly species being especially diverse. The park is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.[2] [...] - ^ a b c d e f Uganda Wildlife Authority (2006). "Semliki National Park". Entebbe: Uganda Wildlife Authority. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019. [...] - ^ "Semuliki National Park - Activities". www.ugandawildlife.org. Archived from the original on 16 July 2017. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
Claim: Semliki River is a territory of Uganda (Semliki River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-04-13): Semliki River, waterway connecting Lakes Edward and Albert, in the Western Rift Valley. It issues from the northwestern end of Lake Edward in Congo (Kinshasa) and meanders for 143 miles (230 km) north-northeast along the western foot of the Rwenzori Range to Lake Albert, the latter part of its course forming part of the border between Congo and Uganda. The Semliki has built up a considerable alluvial plain, part of which is included in the Virunga National Park. Wildlife, including elephants, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, and various kinds of antelope, is abundant. The river’s delta is choked with am batch (a fast-growing thorny tree) and papyrus; it is steadily encroaching on Lake Albert. Semliki River originates from Lake Edward found in Kasese District in Western Uganda. Lake Edward is found in Queen Elizabeth National Park on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The river flows northwards and empties into Lake Albert located in the Hoima District in Western Uganda at 1.2225°N 30.5038889°E. The river travels 230km along the Rwenzori Range and the border between Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo from Lake Edward to Lake Albert [...] Semliki River forms the boundary between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. There is concern on the part of Uganda about the shifting border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo as a result of soil erosion. The Bundibugyo district leaders say that the river has shifted almost one kilometer into Uganda.
Claim: Semliki River is a territory of Uganda (Semliki River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-05-14): Semuliki is part of Africa’s Albertine Rift valley which runs the short length of Semuliki River from where it enters Uganda until it empties in Lake Albert. [...] The 220 km2 Semuliki National Park is situated in Bwamba County, Bundibugyo District on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. [...] Although Semuliki National Park and Semliki Wildlife Reserve are home to some of the more iconic mammal species on the safari checklist, the Semliki Valley is best known for offering remarkable birding tours in Uganda.
Claim: Semliki River is a territory of Uganda (Semliki River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-01): The 220km2 Semuliki National Park and the nearby 545km2 Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve lie on the floor of the Semliki Valley, the 160km-long part of the Albertine Rift Valley, The Semuliki forest boasts a remarkably rich biodiversity. This is partly because it is extremely old, being one a few patches of forest refugia that predate the arid millennia of the last Ice Age.
Claim: Semliki River is a territory of Uganda (Semliki River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-06-02): Semuliki is so remote, it feels like a whole other country. The fact that it is completely cut off by the Rwenzori Mountains makes that feeling even more pronounced. [...] Semliki is also home to primates such as chimps, vervet monkeys, baboons, mangabeys, pottos and galagoes to mention a few. Semliki National Park lies at the border with Congo just like Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi further south in the same Albertine rift valley. It measures about 220 square kilometres and was gazetted as a national park in 1993. It had been a forest reserve since 1932. The main attraction in the park remains the Sempaya hot springs.
Claim: Semliki River is a territory of Uganda (Semliki River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-01): Satellite map of Semliki River - In Uganda Map of Semliki River Semliki River (sometimes Semuliki) is a major river, 140 kilometres (87 mi) long, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda in Central and East Africa. It flows north from Lake Edward to Lake Albert in the Albertine Rift west of the Rwenzori Mountains. Along its lower reaches, it forms part of the international border between the DRC and the western Ugandan district of Bundibugyo, near the Semuliki National Park.
Claim: Semliki River is a territory of Uganda (Semliki River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-05-11): Formerly a forest reserve, the park is a virtually untouched tropical lowland forest. It is separated from the Ituri Forest of Zaire only by River Semliki. [...] Visitors hiking through the forest can come across small open grasslands, swamps, stands of bamboo, ironwood and oil palm. The Semiliki River has developed its own ecosystem and the hot springs at Sempaya (where the waters reach 106oC) attracts many shorebirds that feed on the fish that live in the mud. [...] The Semuliki National Park is ideal for those who want to get off the tourist trail to hike and camp for a few days. Guides are available for nature walks in the forest, and the park has a short established trail that loops around the hot springs. Many trails require guides because they are less clearly marked. One trail is along the park boundary north of the Semliki River beside the border with Zaire. It can take up to six days to complete a circuit around the park. One popular walk is along the main road from Sempaya to Ntandi, which passes the lovely Mungilo Falls. If visitors have their own vehicle they can combine Semliki with a trip to the foothills of the Rwenzori and the two spectacular Ngite Falls. Don’t forget to bring hiking boots and rain gear.
Claim: Semliki River is a territory of Uganda (Semliki River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2010-05-23): Amos Mugisa, the LC1 of Rukorra in Bweramule sub-county, Ntoroko, says the shifting of River Semliki has reduced the territory under his charge by about five square kilometres. [...] Semliki River, which originates from Lake Edward, with some of its tributaries from the Rwenzori mountains and the DRC, on its 140km journey, flows through the Rwenzori foothills and pours into Lake Albert. [...] That is why they agreed that Semliki should be the recognised boundary separating Uganda and the DR Congo. The shifting of the river is now creating a puzzle on the borders.
Claim: Semliki River is a territory of Uganda (Semliki River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-06-27): Also referred to as Semuliki, River Semliki is the main River on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and is about 140 kilometers (87 miles) long. With its source in Lake Edward (in Queen Elizabeth National Park on the Uganda-DRC border) and mouth in Lake Albert, River Semliki flows northwards within the Albertine Rift, west of the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains. Along the lower banks of this River, it forms part of the International border between Bundibugyo District in western Uganda, near Semliki Forest National Park and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This river powers its waters into Lake Albert, west of the border in Orientale Province of Congo. [...] After leaving Virunga, River Semliki flows underneath another road connecting the Democratic Republic of Congo settlement of Oicha, through several settlements within the Semliki Valley, lying west of the Uganda-DRC border as well as Bundibugyo district (in Uganda) and along the western border of Semliki Forest National Park in Uganda. After leaving Semliki National Park, it nears the Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve before flowing west of the International border and also entering the southern end of Lake Albert at the spot southeast of Bunia (in DRC). [...] The Semliki River and Forest is inhabited by the Bakonzo and Bamba people who are mainly cultivators and the Batuku who are generally pastoralists as well as some Batwa pygmies who mainly survive on the waters of the meandering river. All these tribes have interesting cultures and customs that can be enjoyed during Uganda safaris.
Claim: Semliki River is a territory of Uganda (Semliki River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (1998-07-20): Semliki River, waterway connecting Lakes Edward and Albert, in the Western Rift Valley. It issues from the northwestern end of Lake Edward in Congo (Kinshasa) and meanders for 143 miles (230 km) north-northeast along the western foot of the Ruwenzori Range to Lake Albert, the latter part of its course forming part of the border between Congo and Uganda. The Semliki has built up a considerable alluvial plain, part of which is included in the Virunga National Park. Wildlife, including elephants, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, and various kinds of antelope, is abundant. The river’s delta is choked with ambatch (a fast-growing thorny tree) and papyrus; it is steadily encroaching on Lake Albert.
Claim: Semliki River is a territory of Uganda (Semliki River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-05-09): The Semliki Valley is one of Uganda’s more remote wilderness regions, unspoilt by mass tourism and considered by many (especially avid birders) to be one of the country’s best-kept safari secrets. It runs the short length of the Semliki River from where it enters the country until it empties into Lake Albert and encompasses two distinctive protected areas: the Semuliki National Park and the Semliki Wilderness Reserve. The contrasting characters of the two wilderness regions – from ancient and eldritch forest to gentle savannah – ensure an astonishing array of biodiversity and centre the Semliki Valley experience around a profound appreciation of nature’s marvels. Semuliki National Park lies on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), contiguous with the northernmost corner of Virunga National Park. Semuliki protects the easternmost extension of the mighty Ituri Forest, which stretches more than 500km to the Congo River and represents the only true tract of lowland tropical forest in East Africa. The landscape is dominated by Ugandan ironwood trees (Cynometra alexandri), interspersed with lush palm fronds and verdant ferns. Juxtaposed against this backdrop of green, a kaleidoscope of over 350 butterfly species of every size and hue flutter between shafts of light, and the forest is alive with a cacophony of birdsong. The dark woods are broken by startling open patches of papyrus swamps, the dramatic scenery of the Sempaya Hot Springs, and views of the glacier-tipped Rwenzori Mountains.