Authorities have announced a maize flour shortage in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) lately, which has caused confusion among citizens as to the underlying reasons. However, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema made it clear by saying that the responsibility for the incident lay entirely with the Congolese government. Indeed, according to him, the Congolese government has never placed an order and made no payment. This is actually the first time that Congo (Kinshasa) has requested maize flour. The two governments finally agreed on prices and bank payment methods.
The Zambian president clarified that there was never any interference in the blocking of this maize flour file and that the Kinshasa version was totally false. He added that the latter’s version was just a “tinkering” and that the Congolese state got the procedure wrong.
In addition, the President pointed out that on the Zambian border, the authorities have already agreed that the border remains open 24 hours a day, unlike in Congo (Kinshasa) where it only works for five hours. This sparked protests from the Zambian President, who called for a change in this situation.
Despite past problems and misunderstandings between the two countries, Hakainde Hichilema called for good relations between the two countries and strengthening ties