The Zambian border at Kasumbalesa, closed since Saturday August 10, 2024, reopened on Tuesday morning. This border crossing is the second most important in the DRC after Kinshasa. The decision to reopen was taken on Monday August 12 evening in Lubumbashi, following a meeting between the Congolese and Zambian Ministers of Trade.
Zambian Minister of Trade and Industry, Chipoka Mulenga, insisted, however, that both parties respect the trade agreements that bind them.
“Several years ago, the DRC and Zambia signed a trade agreement. It’s very important that we refer to this agreement every time, as we have just done this evening. I’m very happy because Zambian products will enter the DRC without any restrictions.”
Zambia had closed three border crossings with the DRC in protest against the decision taken last July to ban imports of foreign beer and soft drinks.
For his part, the Congolese Minister of Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku, stated that the DRC had not violated the agreements. Rather, the embargo on beer and soft drinks concerns products from other countries. “Only goods of Zambian origin are affected by trade privileges. And I can tell you that transshipment in all the countries around us costs the DRC nearly 5 billion dollars every year.
The two countries have agreed to set up a joint commission to verify the origin of goods before they cross the border.