Rukwanzi Island

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Rukwanzi is a small island in Lake Albert in Africa. It is located at the southern end of the lake near the mouth of the Semliki. The 1 km long and 500 m wide island is inhabited mostly by fishermen and their families.

The territorial affiliation of the small island is disputed between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The border between the two countries has not been set during the colonial period, and is ambiguous with respect to Rukwanzi. Since the discovery of oil in the region from 2001, the tensions between Uganda and the DRC increased. 2007, the conflict escalated when it came near the island of fighting between troops of both countries. In August 2007, occupied the Congolese military Rukwanzi. Many of the former about 3000 inhabitants left the island due to the uncertain conditions and a cholera epidemic.

The border dispute is still (as of April 25, 2009 ) unsolved.