Résumé : During the months of May and June 2016 archaeological investigations were carried out in the Maniema Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which until then constituted unexplored territory. Until now the area's history was only known as far as the 19th century, with the establishment of the slave and ivory trades by Swahili-Arabs from the East African Coast. Surveys and test-pit excavations were carried out in Kindu and Ka- songo, situated on the Lualaba River. Even though it is too early to provide any data on the region's occupational history, our first observations indicate that the Maniema Province exhibits an old, rich and varied archaeological heritage.