Congolese cyclist Miguel Masaisai has left Goma in eastern DRC for Rabat in Morocco. He is cycling 14,000 km across the continent, through 17 countries, to raise awareness for peace in his country, which is ravaged by civil war.
“What motivates me is the suffering and the war we are experiencing at home. This war, this conflict, has given me the strength to continue and proudly represent the Democratic Republic of Congo. To show that Congo is not just about war — that we too are capable of great things despite the conflicts,” said Miguel Masaisai, a cyclist, just before his departure.
Having set off on May 1st from the capital of North Kivu, Miguel Masaisai is no stranger to challenges; he has already completed a similar journey to Cape Town, South Africa, in 2025 for the same cause, also by bicycle. The cyclist is a source of pride for many young people.
What motivated me to support him [Miguel Masaisai] was that I was pleased with what he was doing, with his initiative and the efforts he was making to complete his challenge: cycling for peace. And for someone to leave Goma for Morocco, to travel such a distance by bicycle, it’s not easy. It’s not as if his bicycle was motorized and he just needed to put in gas to ride. What he did truly impressed me deeply, and I thanked him; that’s why I came to encourage him as he set off,” says Samson Mpiana, a motorcycle taxi driver and admirer of the cyclist.
For many observers, this initiative embodies courage and civic engagement, beyond the sporting challenge - a simple bicycle as a vector of change.
