Zambia has temporarily shut its borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo, the government said at the weekend, in a move that could delay exports from Africa’s biggest copper producer.
“We have decided to take precautions that we seal the borders for now,” Chipoka Mulenga, Zambia’s Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, said in comments broadcast over state-owned ZNBC Saturday night. “We may start experiencing a build-up of trucks.”
The move follows protests in Congo that flared after the government of that country banned certain beverage imports from Zambia, ZNBC reported. Mulenga didn’t provide a time-frame on how long the government will keep the border closed.
Most of Congo’s copper travels through Zambia to reach regional ports.
(By Matthew Hill)
5 Comments
Victor simfukwe
Zambia and DRC are neighboring so they have to negotiate
Felix Namaundu
Open cobra Panama to enable copper be sold on world Market
Ronald
This is just a wake up call to open a new route through Tanzania.
Liaqat Mukadam
Zambia and Drc must quickly resolve the dispute arising between our countries. Let us work together. We r both landlocked and need each other to further improve the lives of our peoples and improve our economies.
Oscar Chulu
DRC is not a landlocked