DRC-Zambia border reopens, resuming copper exports

The Tazara Railway is an important route for copper exports from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), (Image courtesy of TAZARA)

Zambia resumed trade with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Tuesday after closing the border with the neighboring country on Saturday.

Congo’s move to ban imports of beer, soft drinks, and lime last month sparked protests on its side of the frontier. This prompted Zambia to announce the border closure, citing concerns for the safety of transport drivers who were being attacked.

“The borders are open,” Zambian Trade Minister Chipoka Mulenga told Bloomberg.

“We had a very good dialogue with our brothers in the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

Congo, the world’s second-largest copper producer, produced more than 2.8 million tons of copper last year, almost all of which typically travels through Zambia to reach regional ports in Namibia, South Africa, and Tanzania. The main Kasumbalesa crossing between Zambia and Congo is one of the busiest in southern Africa, with queues of lorries sometimes stretching for more than 30 miles (48 kilometers).

Mulenga had traveled to the southern Congo city of Lubumbashi on Monday to meet his counterpart and resolve the issue.

(With files from Bloomberg)

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