Title: Fatal accident on road number 5 in the DRC: is infrastructure failure responsible?
A tragic fatal accident occurred on Friday June 2, 2023 near the Malambwe village on road number 5, 72 km from the city of Kilwa, in the province of Haut-Katanga, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A public transport vehicle violently crashed into an obstacle, killing three people and injuring several. Passengers also lost their belongings and cash while a senior local official, the Prefect of ITM Kilwa, was seriously injured.
This drama rekindles concerns about the state of roads and other infrastructure which are in poor condition in the province of Haut-Katanga, where the mining companies AMC (Anvil Mining Congo) and Mushima nevertheless operate. The population of this region is left to fend for itself, in total despair.
Governor Jacques Kyabula Katwe had promised to rehabilitate this road to avoid such accidents, but obviously nothing was done. This situation highlights the incapacity of the authorities and the abandonment of the populations who live on this road, one of the most dangerous in the DRC.
This accident is a reminder of the need to pay particular attention to basic infrastructure in the poorest areas of the country. Opposition leaders’ calls for citizen mobilization before the December 2023 elections should include the rehabilitation of basic infrastructure in their program.
It is urgent that significant efforts be made to improve road infrastructure in the province of Haut-Katanga and allow smoother and safer traffic on road number 5. This situation cannot continue. The population needs to be heard and to receive concrete help to remedy the difficult living conditions they endure