Photo shows motorway in Philippines, not in DR Congo

The caption reads: “This is Kinshasa, The capital city of The Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s one of the largest cities in Africa.”

Despite having some of the world’s largest mineral deposits, DR Congo ranks as one of the world's poorest countries and is plagued by conflict and tribal disputes.

The country’s capital is sub-Saharan Africa’s second-largest city with an estimated population of about 13 million people.

Image

A photo showing a cycling race on a major road in Kinshasa ( AFP / JUNIOR D. KANNAH)

Kinshasa boasts highways and modern high-rise buildings, as seen in these satellite images on Google Maps and Google Earth.

However, the image featured in the Facebook post does not show Kinshasa.

Metro Manila Skyway

AFP Fact Check conducted a reverse image search and found that the photo was taken in the Philippines.

It shows the Metro Manila Skyway, an elevated highway and motorway which connects the North Luzon Expressway and the South Luzon Expressway in Manila, the country’s capital.

Mark Villar, a senator in the Philippines, posted the photo on Facebook in June 2021.

“I shared the photo on Facebook in 2021; it was taken by one of our staff members at the department of public works,” Villar told AFP Fact Check.

At the time, Villar served as the Philippines’ secretary of public works and highways.

Trevi Group, the company that was awarded the contract to construct the 14-kilometre elevated highway in 2016, also confirmed to AFP Fact Check that “the image shows the Metro Manila Skyway in the Philippines”.