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Separatist movements in the Democratic Rep. of Congo

Kwilu and Kivu (1964)
Bukavu republic (?)

See also:

Kwilu and Kivu

image by Vincent Morley, 08 Jan 1997

From the Flag Bulletin, vol. 3, No. 4 (Summer 1964), p. 63:

"Finally, an old flag has again been raised in the centre of Africa. A revolt against the central Congolese government at Leopoldville [now Kinshasa] has broken out in Kwilu and Kivu provinces. The Kivu rebels have established a Revolutionary Government of the Eastern Congo with headquarters at Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. The Ruzizi Valley in Kivu is controlled by the rebels who claimed to be led by Patrice Lumumba, who in fact was killed in 1961. Their flag is the blue and gold flag with six stars which was used by the Congo from 1960 to 1963".

Jos Poels, 12 Sep 1996

Bukavu Republic (?)

image by Toino Guifeiro, 21 Feb 1999

I added in my pages a alternative image for the flag of the Republic of Bukavu. I include in first time the flag according Oleg Tarnowski. Now, I include the flag according Lucien Philippe. I believe that the version of Philippe is more sure. Philippe say that the flags "is the Katanga flag without the three cross because the crosses are a a secessionist symbol of Katanga, and the Bukavu flag is not that of Katanga.
Jaume Ollé, 18 Apr 1997

As Bukavu has always been the capital of Kivu it always has used its armorial bearings — which look very different from what you have shown. It has 3 symbolic volcanoes and the lake. It never has been used as a flag.
Caroline Vervalcke, 16 May 1999

There were attempts at a secession of Kivu and neighbouring areas in the past two years, but the flag shown here is much older. I do not know much, but apparently Bukavu was one of the two centres of Gbenye's “People's Republic of Congo”, generally described as following the footsteps of Patrice Lumumba. The other centre was Kisangani (formerly Stanleyville) and all this took place in 1964-65. So this Katanga-like flag is somewhat strange, because (according to W. Smith 75 [smi75b]) Gbenye's republic must have used the seven-star flag [as shown above].
Thânh-Tam Lê, 31 Mar 1999