Zambia briefly closed its border to the Democratic Republic of the Congo over a trade dispute. The decision to shut its border threatened Congo's ability to export its minerals.

Zambia agreed to reopen its border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Monday night after briefly closing it over the weekend due to a trade dispute.

"The Zambian party informed the Congolese party that the border will be reopened, in order to allow the free movement of people and goods between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Zambia," said the ministers of commerce of the two countries in a joint statement.

Zambia's Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Chipoka Mulenga had met with Congolese officials in the city of Lubumbashi near the border.

Zambia key gateway to Congolese minerals

Zambia closed its border after Congo banned the import of soft drinks and beer from its southern neighbor. Congolese truckers protested near the border town of Kasumbalesa in response, while Zambian business groups also criticized the decision.

The decision to shutter the Zambian border threatened Congo's ability to export its minerals as it is a key export route for copper from mines in the south of the DRC.

Landlocked Congo, meanwhile, has huge gold, copper and cobalt reserves and a large portion of it passes through Zambia en route to the coast for shipping.

zc/jsi (AP, Reuters)