Deadliest Journeys - Congo : Mud Prisoners

At the time of its independence, the Congo had one of the best road networks in Central Africa. Today, barely 2% of the roads are paved. The rest are just dirt tracks, often impassable in the rainy season. North Kivu is one of the richest regions in Africa and especially the breadbasket of the country. Everything grows here. This province provides food to all of Congo. To transport it to the rest of the country, there is only the road, the National 4. Foodstuffs leave the city of Goma to reach the river port of Kisangani, nearly 1,200 kilometers away. From there, they are sent by boat to Kinshasa, the capital, and to the other provinces of the country. This road is a vital axis not only for the country, but also for the neighboring countries, which pass their goods through it. In the old days, trucks would make the trip in three or four days. But now the journeys have lengthened considerably. It takes them between two and six weeks to reach their destination. We follow Eric, a seasoned driver in his 40s. With his truck and about 20 passengers, we had barely three days before he was caught in an extraordinary traffic jam. In the middle of the equatorial forest, more than a hundred trucks paralyze traffic. They are blocked by mud which has gradually turned into thick clay. A 30-ton truck has its right side driven up to the axles ... With our all-terrain car, we manage to get to the other side of this pond, leaving Eric to wait more than three days for the road to clear. While waiting, we decide to follow the national 4 in the direction of Kisangani. For nearly 60 kilometers, on the road, there is only a succession of mini buses, cars and trucks broken down or stuck in the mud. After the city of Nia Nia, we are again blocked by a monstrous traffic jam. Several hundred trucks are parked for more than two kilometers, in front of a pool of clay covering the track. This time our all-terrain car does not pass. Only motorcycles manage to continue their journey. The other vehicles remain blocked. Some have been there for more than a week. When one truck manages to pull itself out of the mud, others immediately try to pass. They stall, sink in, or tip over and things get worse. There is neither water nor food. Women, children, drivers, there are nearly a thousand camping on the edge of the track. They do what they can to survive. In this general chaos, little by little people are organizing themselves. They help and encourage each other to overcome this hell of heat and mud ... Not far from there, another hell. It is caused by the rush towards the new El Dorado of Kivu, the coltan mines of Congo. For a few months, the “Gray Gold” of Rubaya Massisi has attracted thousands of adventurers to a bare mountain, swept by the winds and dust. For a few euros a day, men, but also children risk their lives to extract this precious mineral. Very rare, it costs two to three times as much as gold, but above all, it is essential for high technology. Without the sweat of these impossible minors, we would not be able to use our cellphones or our computers ...

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