There are more than five hundred vehicles stuck for several months between Gina and Pimbo, two localities located in the territory of Djugu in Ituri. This situation is mainly due to the advanced disrepair of national road 27, aggravated by regular rains in the region.
Among the blocked vehicles, we find in particular heavy goods vehicles transporting basic necessities, tanker trucks filled with fuel, public transport vehicles and private cars.
The deterioration of the road is such that even motorcycles have difficulty traveling. Aksante Dz’rodjo, a motorcyclist from the village of Ndjibha, expresses his frustration: “The road is really dilapidated. I have been here for four days without being able to move forward. Even on a motorbike, it is impossible to make a way among these hundreds of vehicles. The authorities must do their best to intervene and resolve this situation, otherwise it will become catastrophic.”
Users of this road are wondering about the use of road toll money, which is regularly collected and which should normally be used for road maintenance, mainly for the province of Ituri.
Abubakar Haruni, a tanker driver, expresses his discontent: “I have been stuck here for a month. I have not even reached the border with Uganda yet. Some have been here for two months from Kisangani . Even in Pimbo, which is very close, we have not yet managed to arrive. We do not understand why the authorities are making the population suffer so much. They have collected enough money, but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be used for road maintenance. We don’t know who hexed us.”
Furthermore, many observers point out that most of the roads in the province of Ituri are in an advanced state of disrepair since the General Directorate of Revenue of the Province of Ituri (DGRPI) took charge of the management of the maintenance of these roads, which was previously entrusted to the National Road Maintenance Fund (FONER).
Unfortunately, Radio Okapi was unable to obtain a reaction from DGRPI officials.
This situation demonstrates the urgency of taking measures to repair and maintain road infrastructure in the province of Ituri. It is essential that the authorities become aware of the harmful consequences of this negligence on the population and on the economy of the region. Immediate action is needed to resolve this crisis and ensure the mobility of people and goods in this part of the country.