More than 500 vehicles, mainly heavy goods vehicles, are currently stuck between Gina and Pimbo, on national road 27 in the territory of Djugu, in Ituri. The heavy rains which regularly fall in the region have deteriorated this road, making it impossible for vehicles to advance for more than two months.
Among the immobilized vehicles, we find trucks transporting basic necessities, fuel tankers, public transport vehicles as well as private cars.
The situation is such that even motorcycles have difficulty getting around. Aksante Dz’rodjo, a motorcyclist from the village of Ndjibha, testifies to the difficulty of getting around: “The road is really dilapidated. I have been here for four days without being able to move forward. It is not even possible to sneak on a motorbike between these hundreds of vehicles. The authorities must intervene to resolve this situation, otherwise it will be catastrophic.”
Users of this road are questioning the use of road toll money, which is supposed to be allocated to road maintenance. Drivers are complaining about the lack of intervention from the authorities to resolve this dire situation.
Abubakar Haruni, a tanker truck driver, expresses his anger: “I have been stuck here for a month today. I have not even arrived at the border between the DRC and Uganda yet. Other drivers are stranded here for two months. We come from Kisangani and we have not even reached Pimbo, which is nearby. We do not understand why the authorities are making the population suffer in this way. They have collected enough money, but do not “Unfortunately they are not used to maintain the roads. We don’t know who bewitched us.”
In addition, many observers point out that most of the roads in Ituri province are in an advanced state of disrepair since the General Directorate of Revenue of Ituri Province (DGRPI) took over the management of road maintenance, which was previously carried out by the National Road Maintenance Fund (FONER).
Radio Okapi was unable to obtain the reaction of DGRPI officials on this subject.
This situation highlights the urgency of taking measures to rehabilitate road infrastructure and ensure the mobility of populations. It is essential that the authorities take the necessary measures to remedy this situation in order to guarantee the safety and well-being of road users.