Kivu

thumb|230px|Map of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo thumb|230px|North Kivu and [[South Kivu ("the Kivus")]] Kivu is the name for a large region in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo that borders Lake Kivu. It was a Région (read 'province') of the country under the rule of Mobutu Sese Seko from 1966 to 1988. As an official Région in 1986 it was divided into the three "Sub-Regions" (Sous-Régions in French) of: Nord-Kivu, Sud-Kivu and Maniema, Those three became the current provinces in the reorganization of 1988. The capital of the Kivu Region was in Bukavu, and the capitals of the three Sub-Regions were in Goma, Uvira and Kindu.

==History== Kivu has been repeatedly subjected to major conflicts since the early 20th century. Under Belgian colonial rule, it was the site of several religious revolts such as the 1944 Kivu uprising. Following independence, it was a battleground of the Simba rebellion, First Congo War, and Second Congo War, and has been the site of an ongoing military conflict since the early 2000s. In 2025 substantial parts of the area came under the control of the March 23 Movement.