Passengers from Rumonge to Congo travel by small overloaded boats with no life jackets
Burundi travelers who go to the Democratic Republic of Congo from Rumonge port via Lake Tanganyika are worried about their safety because they travel in life-threatening conditions. They ask the government to help make their travel safe.
The passengers say going to Congo by the lake has become like going on a “suicide” mission. The reason is that they travel in overloaded small boats that don’t meet requirements to safely transport people and cargoes.
They also say that the boats have no life jackets to save lives of travelers in case of shipwreck.
They report that most often there are accidents due to violent wind and overloaded boats causing death. Reports from the Maritime Security Authority say more than ten travelers died in 2016 due to bad weather and shipwreck.
The travelers say there are no rescue boats at Rumonge port. Even the means of communications are not sufficient.
They ask the government to protect them by providing up-to-date boats. They also ask the government to provide necessary means to the Maritime Security Authority so that the authority can rescue the travelers or call for their assistance in case of shipwreck or other incidents.
People from Rumonge, southern province, often travel to Congo via Lake Tanganyika for trade, family, fishing and farming reasons.
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