The Democratic Republic of Congo's primary copper export corridor has been severed after floodwaters caused a bridge to collapse near the Zambian border, throwing shipments from the globe's second-largest copper producer into disarray.
The Zambia Revenue Authority issued a notice on Sunday advising transporters to seek alternative routes, noting that the damage had significantly disrupted the flow of traffic to and from the Kasumbalesa border crossing — Zambia's busiest entry point. Footage broadcast on state television that evening revealed the bridge had been completely washed away.
The country's Road Development Agency confirmed in a separate statement that repair efforts were already under way on Sunday, with authorities aiming to restore access within 48 hours.
Although Zambia and the DRC share several other border crossings, Kasumbalesa remains the principal route, often seeing queues of heavy-goods vehicles stretching for tens of kilometres as they await passage. The persistent bottleneck has underscored the urgent need to develop new export corridors from the central African copperbelt.
Among the alternatives gaining momentum is the Lobito rail corridor, which links mining operations to an Atlantic coast port in neighbouring Angola and has secured backing from both the United States and the European Union. Meanwhile, China is investing nearly $1.4 billion (R22.5 billion) to revitalise a railway connecting the region to the Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
