HH Celebrates Friendship with DRC and Calls for Peace

President Hichilema signalled his desire this week to pursue a deepening of bilateral ties with Zambia’s neighbour, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

These words came following the President’s meeting with Isabelle Kibassa Maliba and her Congolese delegation, who are paying an official visit to Zambia. Ms Kibassa Maliba is the First Secretary at-large to Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi.

President Hichilema warmly welcomed his guests, and stressed the close relations between the two countries who share a significant degree of history as well as a 1,900-kilometre border. He expressed hope that, as fellow members of the Southern African Development Community, Zambia and the DRC will continue to engage in fruitful cooperation to achieve shared development goals.

“With our nations bound not only by geography but by shared heritage, the path forward must include harmonized border regulations and deeper regional integration”, the President said.

One specific ambition mentioned was the establishment of a commercial flightpath between Kinshasa and Lusaka. This, President hopes, will be a “vital enabler of expanded trade, tourism, and cultural exchange”.

However, there are challenges. President Hichelama expressed concerns about the ongoing conflict with Rwandan-backed rebels in the eastern DRC. Peace is a necessary component of economic development.

“We focus, as Zambia, on ensuring that we can have peace in Zambia, peace in the DRC, peace in our region. Then we can focus on these issues in a peaceful environment”, he said.

Zambia’s UPND government remains committed to playing a leadership role within southern Africa and being an active advocate for peaceful solutions and cooperative development.