Nyiragongo Territory in the context of "Territories of the Democratic Republic of the Congo"

North Kivu (Swahili: Jimbo la Kivu Kaskazini) is a province bordering Lake Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The capital city is Goma. Spanning approximately 59,483 square kilometers with a population estimate of 8,985,711 as of 2020, it is bordered by Ituri Province to the north, Tshopo Province to the northwest, Maniema Province to the southwest, and South Kivu Province to the south, as well as Uganda and Rwanda to the east.

North Kivu's administrative history traces back to the colonial era when it was initially part of the Stanley Falls District within the Congo Free State. Following a series of territorial reorganizations, North Kivu became incorporated into Orientale Province, with Stanleyville (modern-day Kisangani) as the provincial capital. The area gained provincial status in 1962 but was demoted to a district under Mobutu Sese Seko's regime in 1965. It was formally reinstated in 1988 under Ordinance-Law No. 88/1976 and Ordinance-Law No. 88-031, which redefined the previous Kivu Province into tripartite separate provinces: North Kivu, South Kivu, and Maniema. Presently, North Kivu comprises three cities—Goma, Butembo, and Beni—and six territories: Beni, Lubero, Masisi, Rutshuru, Nyiragongo, and Walikale. A 2013 decree also proposed city status for Kasindi, Oicha, and Luholu. The province's eastern border is home to the Rwenzori Mountains, part of the Albertine Rift, which serves as a key freshwater source and supports a diverse ecosystem. North Kivu also hosts Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to endangered mountain gorillas.

The Bukumu Chiefdom (French: Chefferie de Bukumu) is a chiefdom located in the Nyiragongo Territory of the North Kivu Province in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is bounded to the north by Bwisha Chiefdom in Rutshuru Territory, to the south by Goma, to the east by Rwanda, and to the west by Masisi Territory. As the sole chiefdom in Nyiragongo Territory, Bukumu Chiefdom spans 333 km, with more than half of its land (170 km) incorporated into Virunga National Park, while the remaining 163 km is inhabited by a population estimated at 338,966 as of the 2022 census.

Bukumu Chiefdom's political and economic landscape is shaped by its proximity to the Rwandan border, rapid urbanization, and complex identity and governance dynamics. The chiefdom is administratively structured into seven groupements, further subdivided into 58 villages. However, since 2006, the former groupements of Kibumba and Buhumba have been reclassified as rural communes by presidential decree, placing them outside the authority of customary rule. The Bakumu people traditionally govern the chiefdom, but its population also includes Shi, Nande, Hunde, Hutu, Tutsi, and other ethnic groups.