Zambia to reopen Congo border after feud blocked copper exports

Zambia will reopen border crossings with the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday, the state broadcaster reported, after tensions led to a blockade of exports from the world’s second-biggest copper producer at the weekend.

The two governments signed a communique that will allow for Zambian products to enter Congo without restrictions, ZNBC reported late Monday, citing Chipoka Mulenga, Zambia’s minister of commerce, trade and industry. Congo had last month banned the import of beer, soft drinks and lime, leading to protests that prompted Zambia to seal the border posts. 

Mulenga earlier Monday met with his counterpart in the Democratic Republic of Congo to resolve the spat that led to the closure. 

Almost all of Congo’s copper production, which exceeded 2.8 million tons last year, typically travels by road through Zambia to regional ports from Tanzania to South Africa and Namibia. The journey can take more than a month, and the queue of lorries waiting at the main Kasumbalesa border crossing between Zambia and Congo at times stretches for more than 30 miles (48 kilometers).

Zambia closed the border to ensure the safety of truck drivers after protests flared in Congo in response to that government’s ban on beverage imports and lime that’s used in copper processing, after it started producing its own, Mulenga said.

“It wasn’t about trade, but safety,” Mulenga said earlier Monday of the closure that the government announced Saturday. “Trucks were being damaged, drivers were being beaten.”

The disruption poses a severe threat to jobs, the Zambia Association of Manufacturers said in a statement Monday. The lobby group is deeply concerned with Congo’s unilateral decision to impose a 12-month ban on imports of the products, it said. 

“It is essential that both nations work collaboratively to find a solution that upholds trade protocols, respects bilateral agreements, and ensures the security of our borders,” the association said. “A constructive dialog is necessary to restore normalcy and protect the livelihoods of those dependent on this critical trade relationship.”

Congo’s government had introduced the import restrictions to protect local production and promote employment, it said in a statement Monday.

Tensions at the crossing have halted traffic before. Drivers complain of frequent harassment from corrupt officials on the Congolese side, as well as a lack of safety. Lorry operators protested at Kasumbalesa border at the end of September 2022, blocking traffic for days, until senior government officials from each country intervened.