Likasi

Likasi, formerly Jadotville, city (1984 pop. 213,862), Katanga province, SE Congo (Kinshasa). It is a major industrial, mining, and transportation center. Copper and cobalt are mined and refined, and cement, chemicals, and beverages are manufactured. The city has an archaeological and mineral museum.

Likasi, formerly known as Jadotville or Jadotstad, is a town in Katanga Province, in the south-east region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Likasi is the birthplace of former Congolese head of state, Laurent Kabila.

Demographics

Likasi has a population of around 360,000 (Doctors Worldwide, 2005). During the 1990s the population of the town increased as a result of the arrival of refugees from ethnic violence in Shaba, and the United Nations set up feeding centres and refugee centres around Likasi.

History

In 1961, during the United Nations intervention in the Katanga conflict, a company of Irish UN troops deployed to Jadotville was forced to surrender to troops loyal to the Katangese Prime Minister Moise Tshombe (see Siege of Jadotville).

Economy

Likasi remains a centre for industry, especially mining, and is a transport hub for the surrounding region. There are mines and refineries supplied by nearby deposits of copper and cobalt.

External links

• Web site about Likasi