Like it or not, this one, Kinshasa won’t like it. It’s a very embarrassing move.
For decades, traveling from Goma to the interior of North Kivu has meant navigating broken, muddy trails—where what should be a two-hour journey often stretches into an all-day ordeal.
For local farmers, traders, and families, moving goods or seeking medical care has been a relentless struggle.
Despite countless promises, no serious effort had ever been made by successive governments in Kinshasa—under either Joseph Kabila or Félix Tshisekedi—to connect these long-suffering communities to the rest of the country.
But that era of abandonment may be drawing to a close.
Today, M23/AFC movement officially launched construction work on the Sake–Masisi road—a lifeline infrastructure project aimed at transforming not only the province’s economy, but also the daily lives of its people.
The initiative is being hailed as a watershed moment in the region’s modern history.
“For too long, our province was forgotten—stripped of its dignity, denied basic services, and cut off from development,” Vice Governor of North Kivu under M23 administration, Willy Manzi, declared during the launch ceremony.
“Today, we are changing that reality with our own hands. The people of North Kivu have decided they will wait no longer. If Kinshasa won’t come for us, we will build for ourselves.”
The new road will connect the town of Sake to Masisi, opening up critical access to remote but resource-rich areas that have remained isolated due to decades of neglect and conflict.
It is the latest in a series of moves by the M23/AFC-led local administration to reposition North Kivu as a self-reliant, people-driven region.
Having already delivered 24-hour electricity and a clean water supply that now exceeds demand in Goma, the movement is advancing a broader vision of infrastructure-led revival across all liberated territories.
“This road is not just about asphalt and gravel,” Manzi emphasized. “It is the foundation of a new future. A declaration that North Kivu will no longer be a footnote in Congo’s story. It will be a leader in its renaissance.”
Locals welcomed the announcement with a mixture of relief and pride, many echoing the Vice Governor’s sentiment that real change has only come when the people themselves took the lead.
With construction equipment on-site and work officially underway, hopes are high that this time, the promises will be kept—and the road to Masisi will finally be more than just a dream.
As the dust of the groundbreaking ceremony settled, one message rang clear from the hills of Sake: #QueLaPaixRègne — Let Peace Reign.
