Meanwhile, a Facebook post highlights the impassable condition of the road on the Dékoa-Kaga Bandoro route, a 80-kilometer stretch connecting the two towns, with Kaga Bandoro located 343 km from Bangui. The photo is authentic, but it was taken in October 2023, not in 2024.
Published on Facebook on May 6, 2024, by a user named Fleurit Gassimba, the caption of the post claims: “Image of the day! The roads between Dékoa and Kaga Bandoro are extremely degraded, I mean really degraded… Sad reality!”
The post garnered numerous comments, sparking strong reactions from users, with comments like “This is how the roads in the CAR are,” and “Take the road to Bangassou,” added another. However, another user who traveled the route in April 2024 left a contradictory comment, saying, “This section I saw in the image doesn’t actually exist,” and questioned the authenticity of the published photo, which seemed fake to him.
The Photo Is Authentic, but Taken Out of Context
A simple reverse image search can determine the origin of this photo. We used reverse image search tools, which led to similar results. According to the findings, it is indeed an authentic image but dates back to October 2023, not 2024.
The photo was taken in October 2023 by journalist Prince Stivene Namzoka, Communications Assistant at the NGO WCS-RCA: “This photo was taken in October 2023, 15 km from Ndometé on the Dékoa-Kaga Bandoro road. It was during a mission with my colleague from Radio Ndéké-Luka, Martial Mbetissinga. I am the author of this photo.”
Martial Mbetissinga, a journalist at Radio Ndéke Luka, confirmed the photo’s authenticity when contacted by Centrafrique Check on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, at 2:10 PM. He mentioned that it was first published on the media outlet’s website to illustrate an article. As the article excerpt states, “It’s a calvary for vehicles and travelers who take the 80-kilometer road between Dékoa and Kaga-Bandoro. Puddles in the middle of the road, erosion caused by the road, mud stretching for several meters. The scene shows an impassable road.” The full article is available here.
Furthermore, Centrafrique Check was able to contact a regular user of this route.
Clotaire Mapouka, a journalist and Director of Radio la Voix des Aigles, who traveled the route last April, confirmed via WhatsApp to Centrafrique Check on Tuesday, May 7, 2024: “Yes, I traveled by motorbike during the Easter holiday in April, going all the way to Bamingui, Ndélé. The road from Sibut, Dékoa to Kaga-Bandoro is not degraded like that. The section shown in the image doesn’t actually exist. Vehicles pass without any issues,” he stated.
Indeed, the photo was taken in October 2023 during the rainy season of last year, while the user posted the information on Saturday, April 6, 2024, which has no relevance to the current context.
In the Central African Republic, the tropical climate divides the year into two seasons: a rainy season from April to October, and a dry season between November and March, although recent disturbances due to climate change have been observed. During the rainy season, road degradation significantly impacts the free movement of people and goods both in the capital and in provincial towns.
Conclusion
The photo showing the extremely degraded road linking Dékoa and Kaga-Bandoro was not taken in 2024.
