SAKE - Vital roads in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are being rehabilitated to help humanitarian assistance reach internally displaced people in Masisi, where the population has grown due to recent fighting between the Government and rebels.
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| Local women working along Sake - Masisi road |
In early December 2008 torrential rains caused landslides that buried parts of the Sake-Masisi road that links Masisi, a town of some 200,000 people in the country’s eastern region, to Goma, the hub of the region and a marketplace for agricultural products. In places the road collapsed, making the carriageway dangerously narrow and a hazard to traffic.
In recent months the region has been hit by renewed armed conflict forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to flee their homes, many heading for camps for internally displaced people in and around Masisi.
The 57 km Sake-Masisi road is key to improving the circulation of goods and people in the area. It also allows the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance to an area where UN agencies are increasing their operations.
The project to rehabilitate the road is being implemented by UNDP within the framework of the Stabilization Plan for North and South Kivu, Maniema, Ituri and North Katanga district (DRC), a joint UN / DRC Government strategy to re-establish state authority in the region and improve security, goods traffic and freedom of movement for local populations.
The Dutch Government has provided $23 million for the Stabilization Plan, thanks to which the Sake-Masisi road is being rehabilitated, along with other interventions.
The work is being carried out using labour intensive methods, thereby providing employment for communities near the road. The Engineering Brigade of the South African National Defence Force, under the responsibility of the UN Mission in DRC, MONUC, is also involved in repairing the most deteriorated sections of the road, using heavy earthmoving equipment.
UNOPS has been subcontracted to rehabilitate strategic roads and provide procurement services. It is also helping to build and restructure police stations, administrative buildings, public courts and prisons along these important routes, all within the framework of the Stabilization Plan.
The Sake-Masisi road is expected to be fully rehabilitated by April.