South Ubangi: RN23 deterioration drives up prices of goods and services in Zongo

Deterioration of the RN23 between Gemena and Zongo, worsened by the rainy season, is disrupting supplies to the border city, about 260 kilometres from Gemena. Henri Blaise Mbali, head of Zongo’s civil society group, says a jerrycan of palm oil has risen from 28,000 to 62,000 Congolese francs and a litre of fuel from 5,000 to 8,000 francs. Trucks now take several days to travel the road, which is marked by mud pits and potholes and causes frequent breakdowns. Civil society is calling on the central government to rehabilitate the RN23; provincial maintenance work between Bozoko 3 and Bokembe is considered inadequate.