Cyclist advocating for peace in the DRC killed in Congo-Brazzaville crash
Miguel Masaisai, a 23-year-old cyclist traveling across Africa to call for an end to the war in the DRC, died after a collision with a truck while being transported in a taxi.
The young activist Miguel Masaisai embarked on a continent-spanning bicycle trip from Goma to highlight the devastation of war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, posting daily messages to his 237,000 Facebook followers. On a Friday, while traveling to the town of Ouesso for bicycle repairs, he was a passenger in a taxi that was hit by a truck near the Cameroon border in the northern part of Congo-Brazzaville. The collision resulted in the deaths of all four people aboard the taxi, including Masaisai, who was 23 years old.
His campaign featured the blue, yellow and red of the Congolese flag, and he had become a recognizable symbol of the peace effort. The tragedy abruptly ended his mission to draw global attention to his country's conflict.
Why it matters
His death underscores the personal risks faced by activists trying to draw international focus to the DRC war.
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