The deteriorating condition of the Banalia-Télé stretch of National Route 4 continues to disrupt traffic between the Tshopo and Bas-Uélé provinces in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to the Congolese Press Agency, about 40 tanker trucks and one dump truck are stuck at the PK37 and PK45 markers on the route. The Nouvelle Société Civile Congolaise in Banalia also reports that several motorcycle convoys are bogged down at various points along the road.

Prince Yongo, the territorial coordinator of the NSCC/Banalia, said the problems affect the stretch running from PK0, after the crossing of the Aruwimi River on the Kisangani-Banalia axis, all the way to Télé, at the boundary between Tshopo and Bas-Uélé. He was quoted by the ACP as saying the situation is hampering commercial exchanges between the two provinces and affecting the living conditions of local residents.

The current disruptions follow a deterioration already reported in August 2025. At the time, Actualite.cd reported that around 50 kilometers of road had become barely passable on the Kisangani-Banalia axis, with major muddy stretches at PK70 and PK120.

That situation had already led to the blocking of several trucks, shortages of some consumer goods in local markets and rising prices in the Banalia territory. Access to healthcare had also become more difficult for some communities.

The Banalia-Télé route is one of the main overland links between Tshopo and Bas-Uélé. Its deterioration is slowing the movement of people, the transport of goods and the circulation of tanker trucks along this local corridor.

Boaz Kabeya