Traffic has been suspended for a fortnight on the Bunia-Mongwalu section in Ituri province, after CODECO militiamen shot dead 17 passengers towards Bambou in Djugu territory.

No vehicles travel the Nizi-Bambou-Kilo stretch, which is under the control of these assailants despite the presence of some FARDC soldiers.

Passengers and drivers are afraid to put their lives at risk in order not to suffer the fate of the seventeen innocent people who were taken hostage in Bambou and killed by the CODECO militia.

Forced into unemployment, these motorists are asking the government to guarantee security on this road.

The same is true in Mongwalu, where dozens of trucks are blocked and cannot return to Bunia.

As a result, the prices of all goods have doubled in several mining localities in the area.

The mayor of Mongwalu commune, Mr Jean-Pierre Bikilisende, says that life has become precarious for many householders in his entity. He asked that the central and provincial governments take care of the lives of the population of this part of Ituri province, which is languishing in misery as a result of the insecurity, and also asked for peace to be restored.

For his part, the spokesperson for the army in Ituri reassured the users of this road that measures are being taken to restore the authority of the state in this part of Ituri.