A general view of the Makoti Mpoko market, a distribution market and parking lot for farmers' pirogues, on the banks of the Congo River, DR Congo, on April 10, 2024. In DRC, a vast country in central Africa that covers 2.3 million square kilometres (almost 900,000 square miles), reliable transport routes are rare and aeroplanes only serve a limited number of towns.
Many traders have no other choice but to traverse the river to transport their goods. (Photo by Arsene Mpiana / AFP)