Congo, Zambia to reopen border posts

Kinshasa, Aug 13 (IANS) The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia agreed to reopen border posts from Tuesday after three days of closing.The two sides also agreed to grant a special 30-day waiver to facilitate the transition and allow affected parties to adjust to new regulations, reports Xinhua news agency.The decision was made at a bilateral ministerial meeting held in Lubumbashi, the capital of Congo’s southeastern Haut-Katanga province, attended by Congo Minister of External Trade Julien Paluku and Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry of Zambia Chipoka Mulenga.On Saturday, the Zambian government closed the border posts with Congo, saying the closure was a security measure due to protests by truck drivers angry at Congo’s decision in June to ban the import of products such as beer and soft drinks for 12 months.Congo and Zambia rely heavily on roads for the export of precious metals, notably copper and cobalt. Zambia is a key export route for Congo, the world’s second-largest producer of copper in 2023.–IANSint/sd