Police deployed to battle border violence

Two hundred police officers have been deployed at the Kasumbalesa border post between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo following the recent fatal shooting of truck drivers in the area and threats by trucking associations to boycott the border post. But industry insiders say much more is needed. “The Zambian army and police can continue to tighten up security but what is really needed is to improve the efficiencies and governance systems of this crucial trade corridor,” said Mark Pearson programme director of TradeMark Southern Africa (TMSA). The owner of a well-known trucking company in Zambia told FTW that trucking companies had met with government and regional industry leaders in Zambia, as well as TMSA and the Federation of East and Southern African Road Transport Associations (Fesarta). “A non-tariff barriers (NTB) complaint has also been registered,” he said. According to him, boycotting this route is simply not an option. “We need the work and Kasumbalesa is the only border that can handle road freight. Furthermore, while many minerals come out of the DRC, they import fuel, mining equipment and food. Without those essential imports, the country will collapse,” he said. Exports of copper, cobalt and other mineral concentrates from the DRC would also be negatively affected and small-scale traders will be the hardest hit, added Pearson. “The road through Kasumbalesa is the main route from Lubumbashi to the sea ports of Durban and Dar es Salaam so pretty much all copper exports from Katanga go out there and almost all Katanga imports come through Kasumbalesa,” he said. Pearson noted that there was no option but to deal with the matter rather than boycott the border. “The economic fall-out would lead to more instability within and outside the Katanga province of the DRC,” he stated. The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), along with the Commonwealth secretarygeneral Kamalesh Sharma, have been trying to organise the truck drivers and help them form an organisation so they have a voice, reports TMSA. Zambian president Michael Sata said he was engaging with his Congolese counterpart on the need to prevent violence by tightening security and “ultimately preventing criminal elements from peddling their narrow and selfish interests”. “Be assured that the situation is being addressed and I urge all Zambians to remain calm,” he said in a statement. INSERT & CAPTION Be assured the situation is being addressed. – Michael Sata INSERT What is really needed is to improve the efficiencies and governance systems. – Mark Pearson