Transporters operating in the Copper Belt province of Zambia are advised to proceed with extreme caution to the country’s Kasumbalesa border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after violence erupted earlier today.
According to information received via the Federation of East and Southern African Transport Association (Fesarta), faction fighting broke out in the vicinity of a market directly south of the border.
A message sent to Fesarta warned that there were ongoing troubles at Kasumbalesa on the Bilanga side.
Mike Fitzmaurice, chief executive of Fesarta, said it was not safe for trucks to proceed to their destinations.
The source who told Fesarta about the violence said: “My driver managed to get back into the customs area luckily. They say the gates are now closed.”
Apparently the violence was triggered by the dismissal of a party member from parliament.
“There is no news of vehicles that have been damaged but no one is moving,” Fitzmaurice said.
He stressed that until further confirmation was received about the situation, it was not safe at the Kasumbalesa border.
