June 14, 2026
By the time the truck pulled away from the morgue in Bunia, the morning heat hung heavily over the road to Mongbwalu.
The body of a 44-year-old Congolese pastor lay inside a wooden coffin strapped into the back of an ageing Nissan SUV with the backseats pushed flat. A group of young relatives were crammed in, too, sitting atop the casket.
The drive across Ituri province takes about three hours, longer when the dirt roads are as dry and broken as they were that February day. The four-wheel-drive bucked violently, showering dust over the potholes, rocks and gullies carved into the red earth.
By the time the truck reached Mongbwalu, the coffin was cracked, after collapsing under the weight of those sitting on it.
