Over 1 400 trucks are stuck on the Zambian side of the Kasumbalesa border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after authorities in the neighbouring country restricted the number of trucks to be cleared per day, a Zambian official told local media on Thursday.
Precious Njekwa, the district commissioner of Chililabombwe in Copperbelt Province, said the DRC government decided to reduce the number of trucks cleared per day from 450 to 250, resulting in congestion on the Zambian side.
She told the state-run Zambian National Broadcasting Corporation that another 1,700 trucks were parked on a separate road leading to the border.
Read | Video: Cross border truckers cry foul over filthy ablution facilities and long queues at Kasumbalesa
Describing the situation as “sad,” the official said the government was working to provide portable toilets and water for truck drivers while the situation was being addressed.
Zambia Revenue Authority Kasumbalesa Border Station Manager Osila Lundu said the revenue agency has cleared most of the stranded trucks to enter the DRC, but they remain stuck on the Zambian side.
He said that the buildup of trucks awaiting clearance by DRC authorities was placing a strain on both the revenue agency and the truck drivers.
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