Congolese cyclist Miguel Masaisai has died while undertaking a 17-country journey across Africa aimed at promoting peace, bringing a tragic end to an ambitious expedition that had already taken him thousands of kilometres from his home in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The 23-year-old from Goma began his “Pedals for Peace” journey on May 1, setting out with plans to cycle roughly 14,000 kilometres from Goma to Rabat, Morocco. The journey was intended to carry a message of peace across a continent marked by conflict, political instability and displacement in several regions.
By the time of his death, Masaisai had covered more than 6,500 kilometres and reached Kinshasa. He then continued westward into the Republic of Congo as he worked his way towards the next stages of the journey.
The expedition came to a sudden end on September 18 after Masaisai’s bicycle developed a mechanical problem. He took a taxi to have the bicycle repaired, but the vehicle was later involved in a crash with a truck near Ouesso, close to the border between the Republic of Congo and Cameroon.
Masaisai died in the crash along with the taxi driver and two other passengers.
His death has brought to an end a journey that was not his first major cycling challenge across Africa. In 2025, Masaisai cycled from Goma to Cape Town, South Africa, covering a long route that took him across several countries before returning to his latest and more ambitious project.
The “Pedals for Peace” expedition was built around the idea of using long-distance cycling to connect communities and draw attention to peace across Africa. Masaisai’s route from Goma to Rabat was expected to take him through 17 countries and cover thousands of kilometres by bicycle.
For a young cyclist from Goma, a city in a region of eastern Congo that has endured years of armed conflict and insecurity, the journey carried a particularly personal message. Rather than simply travelling from one destination to another, Masaisai had set out to use his bicycle as a platform for a wider call for peace.
He had already completed nearly half of his planned distance when the journey ended in the Republic of Congo. His progress from Goma through Kinshasa and into Congo-Brazzaville showed the scale of the challenge he had undertaken, as well as the physical demands of travelling across Africa by bicycle.
Masaisai’s death is a stark reminder of the risks that can accompany long-distance journeys on the continent, where travellers can face difficult roads, mechanical problems and unpredictable conditions far from home. In his case, it was a vehicle journey taken to deal with a problem with his bicycle that ultimately proved fatal.
His “Pedals for Peace” journey will now be remembered not for reaching Rabat, but for the message that motivated him to begin it and the thousands of kilometres he travelled before his life was cut short.
