| Lusambo | |
| Official Name: | Ville de Lusambo |
| Native Name: | Mji wa Lusambo |
| Settlement Type: | Provincial capital and city |
| Pushpin Map: | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Coordinates: | -4.9729°N 23.4368°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | DR Congo |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Sankuru |
| Parts Type: | Communes |
| Parts Style: | para |
| P1: | Kabondo |
| P2: | Lupembe |
| P3: | Lusambo |
| P4: | Tusuanganyi |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Louis Manga[1] |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | Central Africa Time |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Blank Name: | Climate |
| Blank Info: | Aw |
Lusambo (Swahili: Mji wa Lusambo) is the capital city of Sankuru province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The town lies north of the confluence of the Sankuru River and the Lubi River.[2] [3] [4] Lusambo is served by Lusambo Airport. In 1890 Lusambo was chosen by Paul Le Marinel as the main Belgian base in the Kasai region to defend against the Arab or Swahili traders in slaves and ivory who came from the east. The station would soon become one of the most important military posts of the Congo Free State with a permanent staff of seventeen whites, six hundred native soldiers and four artillery pieces.[5]
In 1999 the new Kabila government and its ally, the Zimbabwean government of Robert Mugabe, claimed that U.S. mercenaries were helping Ugandan and Rwandan-backed rebel forces who had surrounded 700 Zimbabwean troops near Lusambo during the Second Congo War.[6]