Congo: Jungle Couriers | The roads of the impossible

The Congolese are used to saying that those who do not travel do not know the value of men. In South Kivu, travelers are almost all heroes. It takes courage to cross the tracks of this region forgotten by all. The city of Shabunda is one of the most isolated in Congo. Junior and Juvénal convey gasoline at the wheel of an old German military truck, despite the 8 drive wheels of their steel giant, depending on the season, they take between 3 days and 3 weeks to cover the 70 km that separate them from the city. it must be said that the track that crosses the jungle most often resembles a pool of mud. Gasoline arrives by truck because it is far too dangerous to deliver it by plane like food. Suddenly, the price of food explodes. Shabunda is so difficult to access that life is more expensive there than in any European city. The poorest families go to look for food on bicycles or motorbikes at the other end of the track. These convicts of the road transport up to 250 kilos of goods in the mud for 3 days. But then, why do 80,000 people persist in living in Shabunda? Well for the immense treasure that lies at the bottom of the river that borders it. Gold resources are immense. On motorbikes, bicycles, behind the wheel or at the controls of an airplane, the 6 million Congolese in the Kivu region fight every day without ever giving up.
Directed by: Guillaume Lhotellier, Frédéric Elhorga