Miguel Mumbere Masaisai

Miguel Mumbere Masaisai was a Congolese cyclist, triathlete, and peace advocate from Goma whose long-distance rides turned sport into a public call for unity in a region scarred by war. He died on 18 September 2026 at the age of 23 after a road accident near Ouesso in the Republic of the Congo, while travelling as part of his Pedals for Peace journey from Goma toward Rabat, Morocco.

Born in Goma on 16 August 2003, Masaisai grew up in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where armed conflict, displacement, and insecurity have shaped daily life for decades. After Mount Nyiragongo disrupted water supplies in Goma, he taught himself to swim in Lake Kivu while fetching water with his family. That skill drew him into triathlon. Local coaches noticed his endurance, and he went on to race for DR Congo, including a win at the African Triathlon Zone East Championships in Kenya in 2022 and Ironman events in Rwanda.

In 2025 he completed an unsupported ride of roughly 7,000 kilometres from Goma to Cape Town, South Africa, through Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, and Namibia. The project, framed as Pedals for Peace, aimed to show Congolese youth and the wider world that the country was more than conflict headlines. In May 2026 he set out again, this time planning about 14,000 kilometres through some 17 African countries from Goma to Rabat, riding without a support vehicle and relying on communities along the route for food and shelter. He covered 100 to 150 kilometres on many days, documented the ride on social media for tens of thousands of followers, and used a GPS tracker so supporters could follow his progress.

On 5 August 2026, after about 67 days and more than 6,500 kilometres, he reached Kinshasa to a public welcome. He left the capital in early September to continue through Congo-Brazzaville via Brazzaville, Gamboma, and Oyo. On 18 September 2026, near Kabos outside Ouesso, close to the Cameroon border, he was travelling by taxi to have his bicycle repaired when the vehicle crashed. Congolese sports authorities and family confirmed that Masaisai and others in the vehicle were killed. Tributes from North Kivu cycling leaders, Radio Okapi, RFI, Actualite.cd, and international outlets remembered a young athlete who insisted that Congo was not only war, and that young people could choose peace over violence.