After the Lume bridge collapsed on Saturday, vehicles lining up either side of it in eastern DRC are still waiting for traffic to reopen.
After a heavy-duty vehicle traveling toward the town of Beni crossed the bridge that connected the North Kivu province to other countries in East Africa, it collapsed.
A local driver is requesting that the construction of a small truck and motorcycle bypass bridge be given priority by the authorities.
“While I was still on the Kasindi side, this bridge gave way. I can’t get home because I’m stranded here. Here, a number of passengers are also stranded. We have goods that we need to get to Beni but don’t know how. By forcing products that are fragile to cross the water, we run the risk of destroying them. Lemba, a local car driver, stated, “The government ought to think about putting in place a bypass for us to cross.”
The traffic interference additionally influences military activities completed by the Congolese and Ugandan military against the Associated Popularity based Powers (ADF) rebels dynamic in the Beni area.
“We might need two, three, or even four days for it. For the small vehicles, it will be completed quickly. However, with tanks and trailers, it will be extremely difficult for large trucks. Be that as it may, the works have proactively begun”, reported Lt Col Mak Hazukay, Representative for FARDC-UPDF tasks.
DRC’s North Kivu region is generally reliant upon items from East Africa entering the country through Uganda.