A Facebook page called “Bé-Afrik News” published information on May 6, 2024, suggesting that road construction is underway throughout the streets of the Central African Republic, accompanied by photos. The post has garnered 50 likes and 20 shares. The caption claims: “The competent authorities are already hard at work constructing all the streets of the capital, Bangui…,” as stated in the post.
The Majority of These Photos Were Not Taken in the Central African Republic and Are Not from 2024
A simple reverse image search using tools like Reverse Image Search and Yandex helped trace the origins of these photos. According to the results, most of the photos were taken in Cameroon, France, and only two in the Central African Republic.
One of the photos could not be immediately matched with our search results (photo below, No. 3). However, by using the keywords “émulsion ibef images bitumage France,” we found thousands of results, including this photo taken in France by IBEF (International Bitumen Emulsion Federation), Paris-France, as indicated in the link available here.
This Photo Was Taken in Cameroon (Bonepoupa-Yabassi Road) in March 2022
The photo above shows a project aimed at opening up the town of Yabissi by reconnecting it by road to the city of Douala via Bonepoupa. The content of this article was posted on the official page of the Ministry of Public Works of Cameroon.
This Photo Was First Posted on November 3, 2015, by Shutterstock
Shutterstock is a large international technology company that provides a creative platform offering resources and innovative tools. It was founded in the United States by Jonathan Oringer and established in 2003, with its headquarters in New York.
According to the result of the photo above, it dates back to November 3, 2015, and was not taken in 2024.
For This Photo, We Used the Keywords “émulsion ibef images bitumage France”
This search led to thousands of results, among which this photo taken in France by IBEF (International Bitumen Emulsion Federation), Paris-France, was found.
Road Rehabilitation Work Inside Bangui M’Poko Airport, March 2023
This photo was published by the online newspaper Le Potentiel Centrafricain in an article posted on March 13, 2023, titled: “The section connecting the city center and Bangui M’Poko airport soon.”
There is no connection with the current context; the photo was taken in 2023 and was not captured in 2024, as claimed on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Leonel Grothe/Minusca/Bitumage of Bangui M’Poko International Airport, February 25, 2023
This photo was taken in February 2023 and shows the paving of Bangui M’Poko International Airport, first published on the Radio Guira FM website.
In an article posted on February 25, 2023, on the Radio Guira FM website, it is stated: “The Central African capital will soon have a new road between M’Poko International Airport and downtown Bangui. This project, estimated at 15 million dollars (about 10 billion FCFA), is funded by the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA).” This photo is dated 2023 and was not taken in 2024.
Conclusion
In the Central African Republic, the road rehabilitation and paving project in the capital was launched in June 2022 and is funded by the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa and other partners supporting the actions of Central African authorities.
In summary, the majority of the photos showing paved roads were not taken in the Central African Republic.
