Mongala River

The Mongala River is 285 kilometers (177 miles) long, or 510 kilometers (320 miles) if you add the Ebola tributary. It is produced by the confluence of the Dwa River and the Ebola River, which is located upstream from Businga in Nord-Ubangi province.

Mongala River runs southwest and then south through Likimi on the right bank, then west via Binga on the left bank and finally southwest to Mobeka, where it meets the Congo River on the right bank. It forms the western border between Mongala and Sud-Ubangi provinces for the majority of its length.

The remaining little portion of the river goes between Mongala and Équateur provinces near its mouth. Despite the animosity of the locals, who sought to seize the steamers, Belgian soldier Ernest Baert launched two excursions of the Mongala River. On November 23, 1886, he departed Bangala and ascended the Mongala on the A.I.A. for 66 hours to the furthest point reached by his predecessors George Grenfell and Camille Coquilhat, where he encountered a large local population that grew increasingly hostile as the expedition advanced and was attacked several times. On December 1, 1886, he arrived at Mongandi and the Ebola-Dwa confluence, where he established a station before returning to Bangalas.

Length: 285 km